


Trial by Peers

by LivingByBooks



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Benders and non-benders, Boarding School AU, F/F, F/M, M/M, Modern AU, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:35:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 51,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25816669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LivingByBooks/pseuds/LivingByBooks
Summary: Ever the optimist and a master Airbender at twelve, Aang is excited to make friends and begin his newest challenge at an elite school for benders and non-benders. And while he’s had experience with all sorts of people when he’s traveled the world, he’s yet to interact with hordes of mentally and emotionally unstable teenagers. Can the future world leaders learn to grow and work together or are they destined to always remain divided?
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka/Suki, Sokka/Yue, Zuko/Everyone?
Comments: 9
Kudos: 48





	1. Of Age

**Chapter One: Of Age**

The Council of Elders had always known Aang was special the moment he arrived at the Eastern Air Temple. He was not born within their monasteries, but was handed over to them by a young, single mother, scared and confused. At first, there were concerns over the infant’s compatibility with the few remaining airbenders, but their doubts were soon brushed away.

At two months old, the infant sneezed with enough force to knock his caretaker off her feet and giggle at the sensation. The child was an airbender, and one likely born around Avatar Roku’s death, marking him as one of the three potential avatar candidates. In two short years, their hypothesis was answered when Aang picked the four avatar relics as his choice of toys. Soon after, he was sent to the Southern Air Temple where he continued to learn and grow under Monk Gyatso’s supervision.

Aang flourished with Gyatso’s care, their bond just as strong, if not stronger, since their friendship during Roku’s lifetime. Of course, Aang still hadn’t learned the truth about himself, and would not until he became of age, however his progression in airbending studies gathered everyone’s attention, even those outside their community. 

When he was ten years old, his first acceptance letter from the United Nations Academy arrived. While most of the nomads encouraged their students to attend the school, it was unheard of for the school to offer younger students to attend. The Council of Elders unanimously turned down the offer without informing the young airbender.

A second offer was sent the following year and it was once again rejected, however, the third time was the charm. Aang had just received his tattoos and was recovering before the ceremony when the letter arrived.

An elderly monk with a long, gray mustache and unibrow knocked on the door before entering the Council of Elders’ study. Gyatso was reading a text when his friend and fellow council member caught his attention.

He set his book down and smiled, “What can I do for you, Pasang?”

A long sigh escaped the High Monk’s lips as he sat next to Gyatso.

“Iroh is very persistent.”

Pasang pulled letters out of his robes and handed one to him while he fanned the others between his fingers, “They want Aang, and a few others, of course.”

“And your thoughts?” Gyatso was wise, he knew to ask of others’ opinions before voicing his own.

Knowing what his friend was doing, he side eyed him, but voiced them anyway.

“We cannot, should not, hold him back, can we?” Turning to look out the window, he continued, “Aang is very prodigious in his airbending and spiritually, as we can attest since his infancy. He deserves a challenge and a moment of normalcy before he finds out the truth about his destiny. I believe this could be a good learning experience for him despite being only twelve.”

“Plus, he’d be sixteen when he graduates; he could start his Avatar training right after,” Gyatso couldn’t help himself from interjecting, causing Pasang to laugh.

“Very true, my friend!” He teasingly elbowed him, “And let’s not forget your term as Air Master at the Academy is soon to begin as well! There really is no reason for you two to separate now! It is practically settled. We shall finalize everything later tonight with Tashi and Iio after the ceremony.”

“What are you two scheming without me?” A female’s voice rang out before she turned the corner and presented herself.

“Iio! And Tashi! Perfect timing.” Gyatso was the first to stand in order to welcome the female airbender with a hug. “How was your trip?”

The woman, a little younger than the other three men, chuckled, “Not as long as it will be for the others. I was at the Academy, cleaning and organizing it for your arrival Gyatso. It will be good for me to be back at the Eastern Air Temple after all this.”

Ever the impatient one, Tashi grumbled, “What was it you wanted with us?”

Pasang explained everything once more and presented Iio the letter. Having just finished her most recent term at the Academy, Iio was on board with the idea. Aang would be a model student to represent the air nomads. Tashi on the other hand was not as keen.

“This will look like favoritism,” he countered. “If he even wants to go to the Academy, it should be when he is of age. I do not believe he has quite reached maturity for it.”

Iio’s hair almost slapped across Pasang as she whipped her head to gawk at Tashi. “Not mature enough? Aang is the youngest airbender to attain his tattoos and did we not just see him meditating instead of resting? That child is ready, but you are correct. We should simply ask him.”

. X . X . X .

Just before the monks and the sisters of the other temples were set to leave the Southern Air Temple the next morning, the Council of Elders called Aang for a private audience. They explained the letter and their reasoning for approving or disapproving of the opportunity, but had ultimately decided to let him select his own path.

“Do you have any questions, Aang?” Gyatso could see some turmoil in the young boy’s silver eyes.

“A few,” he admitted. “Can I--Do I have time to think this over? What about Appa and Momo? Would they be allowed to come with me?”

The four council members studied their newest master before answering him.

“You have until the end of the day today,” Tashi spoke before the others could. “If you have these types of concerns, perhaps it would be best to wait until you are of age.”

Pasang and Iio nodded in agreement while Gyatso’s heart sympathised with Aang. The boy was closest to his animal companions now that the other young pupils were excluding him from their games, claiming Aang as an unfair advantage to any team for becoming a master so soon.

“Appa will be able to go with you and may stay at the school’s stables, however, Momo will not be able to follow you to the school,” Pasang himself could not imagine being away from his own sky bison for too long. “Think over this carefully, Aang. I know there is no simple answer at this moment, so I will relieve you of your daily duties for today so that you may meditate and come up with an answer that best serves you.”

Excused, the boy floated upright and headed straight to Appa, certain he’d find both of his furry friends together.

Along the way, he spotted a few of the boys playing their new game they invented with the help of his own air scooter invention. Of course it had stung a little to be excluded, but he understood their reasoning. He was glad at least that with him gone, Jinju would most likely be invited to join them in their games.

“If I go to the school, I’ll have a chance to see some of the older guys that I haven’t seen in a while,” Aang told himself as he carried on, lightly scratching his newly acquired arrow tattoo. “Plus I’ll get to study with the female airbenders for the first time too! More airbender friends and other nation friends!”

With a new upside for the Academy, Aang eagerly searched for his two companions. Unfortunately, the second he found them, he remembered he would have to trade Momo for new friends. The flying lemur lunged for Aang and rubbed his face against Aang’s, sensing the boy’s inner turmoil.

“I don’t have any treats with me this time, Momo,” he scratched Momo between his ears, “But I’ll bring you some after I get your advice.”

He began to clean Appa’s pen and groom them both as he verbally worked through his dilemma, occasionally stopping to let Momo chatter and Appa grunt their responses. Aang truly felt like they understood him and wished he could understand them better. Chuckling, he could only imagine what they had to say.

Momo jumped back onto his shoulders and patted Aang’s cheeks when he noticed his caretaker’s eyes water.

“I know, I know,” a small, sad smile appeared on Aang’s face, “you don’t like it when I get upset, but this is so hard. I don’t want you to think we abandoned you if we leave, and we’ll be back for breaks and celebrations.”

Aang hopped onto Appa’s forehead and laid there, rubbing the sky bison’s head. “And maybe you two won’t miss each other too much. Momo will have the other lemurs and you’ll have the others too. New friendships all around…”

A few more tears slipped from the young boy’s eyes before he drifted into sleep.

. X . X . X .

The time for Aang to inform them of his decision was fast approaching and Gyatso wanted to have a word with him before the others gathered. He searched top to bottom for the young airbender, but of course missed checking the stables.

Aang was beginning to wake as his mentor approached him, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“I should have known to find you here,” Gyatso began, “and I see that you kept up with one of your duties anyway. How are you feeling, my boy?”

Sitting up straight, Aang clutched his stomach, “Hungry.”

His mentor laughed, “I’m not surprised, you skipped lunch. I did not see you in the dining hall.”

“What time is it?”

“A little past six,” Gyatso tossed him an apple and reminded him of their meeting.

Aang thanked him for the snack and walked his mentor through his thoughts. He had come to a decision, but a big part of him wanted to see the older man’s reaction before he told the others. Unfortunately, he couldn’t read the other’s stoic expression, yet he did not falter with his own.

“I’ve decided: I am going to United Nations Academy.”

. X . X . X .

A sudden rush of adrenaline coursed through a young waterbender’s veins as she finished packing her bags. Like her older brother, she too would be joining the United Nations Academy as a first year and she was ecstatic.

As soon as her acceptance letter arrived to invite her to the prestigious school for benders and non-benders, the girl gathered all of the information she could, including bothering the living snot out of her brother about frivolous details. She had asked him general questions the year prior when he first returned home after a semester abroad, but now she had picked his mind completely dry.

She felt prepared for anything, but couldn’t help the nervous flutter in her stomach about making friends. As the chief’s daughter, she knew everyone in their village, yet she never felt particularly close to any of the other children of the tribe except her brother. Even Bato’s daughter, older than Katara by two years and have known each other all their lives, were not as close as she and Sokka. Wherever one was, the other was not far behind. Many throughout the tribe teased Kya that her two children were meant to be twins, but the spirits knew they would wreak havoc had they not been separated by a year. Despite their strong bond, the siblings did amass chaos when they fought.

“How have you not finished packing?” Katara peeked into her brother's room to find his room in disarray. Clothes lay everywhere. School supplies remained untouched all throughout summer vacation. His small collection of maps and weapons were neatly placed within his trunk, however those were not necessary for the school year.

“Katara—“ he cut himself short, shaking his head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

Knowing they only had half an hour to make it to the docks, Katara began picking clothes off the floor, folding, then packing them. They wouldn’t need as much of their personal clothes since the Academy provided uniforms, but Sokka was involved in a variety of after school activities that allowed for him to change out of the uniform. And from the limited clothes they were already taking, there was even less to pack because the climate at the Academy was a lot warmer than their own at the South Pole.

“I don’t want to go back.”

That stunned his sister for a brief moment before she continued packing with more urgency.

“What do you mean? You were so excited about your sports teams and clubs last year. “What changed?”

Sokka stopped packing completely and flopped back into his bed, sighing loudly.

“I think… I think I’ve committed to too much. I’m a starter for football; I’ll be the Vice President of the Society of Tribes; I wanted to join another club, AND I’m taking two high level courses—which I’ve heard are extremely difficult— with some of the strictest teachers!”

Finished, Katara stood and placed her hand on her hip, “And what? You’re afraid of ruining your B average? Then take on less or ask for help. I still don’t see what the issue is! Come one, let’s get going. The ship will leave in ten minutes.”

“See? You don’t understand,” he draped his arm over his eyes to block the light in his room. “I’ll just transfer into the school here and help dad.”

She understood then.

The anniversary of their mother’s death was coming up and Sokka didn’t want to leave their father alone. Last year they had Katara with him, however this will be the first time both of them would be away from him completely. She didn’t want to leave him alone either, but they discussed this when Sokka received his own letter and again when she received hers.

“Sokka…,” she sat next to him and placed a hand on his knee, “You can’t—“

A soft chime halted her admonishment and sent her into a panic as she patted herself down in search of the source. Following the song, she popped open Sokka’s trunk and dug around until she found her phone.

“Yes? Hello?”

“Where are you kids?!” Their father’s voice rang in her ear. “The sea plane leaves in five minutes!!”

Slamming the case shut again and tossing it out the window into the snow, she hastily responded, “We’re almost there! We got a little caught up saying goodbye to everyone. See you soon!” Katara yanked her brother off the bed and pushed him down the stairs before returning to her room to grab her own trunk.

Kissing their grandmother farewell, the siblings rushed out the door to retrieve Sokka’s luggage.

As quick as she could, Katara created an ice sled big enough for them and their stuff and shot them forward with her water bending, arms splayed behind her.

“LOOK OUT!!” Sokka yelled with eyes tightly shut in warning to those in his sister’s path and to his sister as well. He couldn’t—wouldn’t— witness their demise.

In record time, they arrived at the port where a small gathering of other students and their parents stood waiting to board the small water aircraft, all watching their dramatic arrival. If Hakoda was not used to his children’s stunts, he would have been embarrassed, yet he knew this was karma’s funny way of paying him back for his own adolescence. At least Katara had the penchant for punctuality.

He hugged and kissed his children, all the while making them promise not to get into fights and to remain on their best behavior. Separated, he knew they could be angels, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out how the two always found trouble together.

“Don’t provoke your brother, Katara,” he waved along with the other parents, “and don’t tease your sister too much, Sokka! We’ll see you in a few months!”

The engine rumbled across the sea’s surface before slicing into the sky, circling the village once then headed north towards the Earth Kingdom where the United Nations Academy awaited.


	2. Caged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and his background with a little bit of Toph.

**Chapter Two: Caged**

There was something about sunsets that saddened the young prince, yet he couldn’t look away. He speculated it had something to do with the fire inside of him simmering down for the night or perhaps it was the dreaded nightmares he knew awaited him in his sleep. Whatever the reason, Zuko felt compelled to punish himself everyday by watching the sun fall behind the oceanic horizon.

He longed for that calm and beauty that he would never have again, days of childish wonder rather than depression and self-doubt. Out of self pitying habit, the teen closed his eyes and touched his scar.

Eight years ago, his mother had vanished. He never understood why or how, but he never saw her again. His father and sister acted as if she never even existed, ignoring his questions and childish outbursts. Neither loved her, or even needed her, like he did. And if it wasn’t for his Uncle Iroh or cousin Lu Ten, Zuko wondered if he’d become just as heartless and manipulative like them.

Seven years ago, as he had begun to accept a motherless life, his grandfather Azulon stole the throne from his brother, Sozin. The two brothers, once close and inseparable, could no longer see eye to eye. Azulon thought Sozin too weak, uncommitted to the Fire Nation in favor of remaining in the previous avatar’s good graces. However, with Avatar Roku’s death a few years prior, he took his chance and dethroned his elder brother.

Six years ago, the royal family continued to crumble. Iroh’s son, and heir to the throne after his father, was killed in battle. With the military expanding and Iroh as the general, the Fire Nation had established various colonies, but not without backlash. After Lu Ten’s death, Zuko felt hollow again. His kind and loving cousin, his only ally, the only friend he’d ever known, was gone as well.

Five years ago, the grief was too strong and Iroh vanished from the face of the earth. Many thought he had killed himself, others assumed he dove into the underworld in search of his son’s assassins. Regardless of where he went, Zuko became third in line for the throne.

Four years ago, impatient with his father, Ozai threatened Fire Lord Azulon. Ozai had gained favor within the nation, advocating and increasing their military presence throughout the world, but it wasn’t enough for Ozai. Threats of civil war took hold of the country, but Zuko’s father had a solution.

Three years ago, his father became Fire Lord. Rumors and whispers of Ozai’s betrayal circled, but the nation was flourishing and no one fought back.

Two years ago Iroh came back and so did tensions. Many braced themselves for the civil war that they had expected years before, yet it never came. Iroh never wanted the throne. Instead, he’d become headmaster of the United Nations Academy and had hoped to enlist Zuko, and then Azula when she was of age. Unsatisfied with Zuko’s fire bending and education, Fire Lord Ozai agreed. He couldn’t stomach having his disgraceful son within the palace walls for long. Hurt, Zuko fought back.

A year ago his father burned him.

The sun had set and Zuko breathed deeply, fueling his fire deep within.

His uncle had taught him not to source his fire from anger, but from breath, yet Zuko couldn’t help but pull from both.

“I thought I’d find you here,” came a familiar voice behind the crumbling wall where Zuko sat.

“Uncle,” Zuko opened his eyes to see a thermal mug held out to him with tea. A corner of his mouth slightly twitched upward. The man was a fire bender, fully capable of keeping a cup of tea warm, but the odd man enjoyed modern equipment.

“Leave it to you in finding the gloomiest of places,” his uncle sat next to him and chuckled into his own cup. “I’ve noticed you haven’t eaten all day. I don’t think I’ll be able to leave you behind like this if you’re going to keep me worried.”

Surprised, he leaned forward to better read his uncle’s expression. Iroh had always taken Zuko with him on business trips, the two were practically nomads whenever school was not in session.

Without any prompting from his nephew, Iroh explained himself, “I figured with school rapidly approaching, you’d want to relax. I’ll be heading south of the academy to Gaoling, then to Omashu, before arriving a day before school starts.”

Zuko shook his head, he couldn’t stand the idea of being left alone at Ember Island, or even at their main home at the academy all alone.

“I’m coming with you. Who else is supposed to help me train?”

“Are you sure, Zuko? It’ll mostly be old men talking,” he stroke his beard in thought, “and we’ll mostly be driving. There’s not much training you can do in a car.”

Undeterred, his nephew insisted, and Iroh couldn’t deny him.

. X . X . X .

Unless he was meditating, Zuko couldn’t stand sitting for long, and it was impossible to relax with two infants in the plane screaming bloody murder. He looked over to his uncle and found him peacefully snoring away, oblivious to the obnoxious noise around them. Envious of his uncle’s ability, the teen retrieved his headphones and blocked the world out with punk rock.

With practically being disowned, Zuko briefly considered a career in the music industry. Aside from training and his country, he loved nothing more than music. His only problem being he knew nothing of musical scales, terms, or instruments. He knew more about tea, from being around his uncle, than music. Newfound determination, the young prince decided he’d try a new club.

The year before as a first year, he spent most of his time after school avoiding crazy fangirls who wanted a shot at dating him. He was able to join the Non-Bender Weapons club for two meetings before it was overrun by obsessive girls. At first, the president was kind and welcoming to him, but it wasn’t long before she had to ask him to stop coming until the gaggle of girls stopped showing up.

As the year had progressed, most of the girls had lost interest in him, yet there was a small handful dedicated to remain his stalkers. He could only hope their infatuation had evaporated before their return to school.

In the meantime, he hopped onto the inflight Wi-Fi on his phone and looked up the clubs publicized on their school’s website.

By the time their plane landed at the Gaoling Airport, he had a decent list of clubs to check out. The school was fairly large for a boarding school, but with rich and famous benefactors, it kept growing despite enrollment being invitation only. Zuko figured their trip was in regards to a potential benefactor.

Aside from his own father, the prince had many strong and charismatic leaders for him to learn and observe from, especially his uncle. It boggled his mind how Iroh would have been a much better Fire Lord than his father, but he never voiced it. He couldn’t bring himself to ask his uncle for specifics in regards to him abdicating, but he didn’t believe it solely involved his only son’s death.

“You’re very quiet,” Iroh noted as they awaited their luggage by the conveyor belt.

“I’m always quiet,” Zuko retorted.

“Mmm, not always,” he chuckled. “You’re more pensive than usual. What’s on your mind?”

“Girls,” was the first thing he could think to say.

Apparently, that was exactly what Iroh wanted to hear as a big smile grew across his face.

“Thinking about getting a girlfriend this year?”

Resisting to roll his eyes, Zuko spotted their bags and retrieved them before answering.

“No, more like how to get rid of them.”

Disappointed, but not judging him, Iroh stroked his beard in thought.

“Boys then…”

Catching his implication, he sputtered, “What?! No!” He almost dropped his bag on his foot. “Why would you think that?!”

“There’s nothing wrong with loving the same gender, or no gender, or even simply yourself. Regardless of your inclination, Zuko, I will always support you.”

Embarrassed by the direction of their conversation, Zuko was quick to switch topics and asked about their destination and goals.

As they made their way to the car rentals, Iroh was selective in his answers. He was right in assuming they were going to meet with a potential benefactor, but Iroh’s main goal was in getting the father to agree to send his daughter to their school.

If Zuko had not known his uncle, he could have been creeped out by how selective the man was about which children to invite and which to deny. Many families applied every year for their students to attend, but only twenty percent ever made it.

By attending their school, students would get their pick of top universities across the world, the three most prestigious being Ba Sing Se University, the University of Wan Shi Tong, and Fire Nation University. The United Nations Academy was also known for its powerful master benders and warriors. Unfortunately with the decline of benders, it was getting more and more difficult to find adept masters for children to study under unless they attended the school.

Therefore Zuko was a little confused as to why he was adamant about this particular student.

“The Beifong’s have always been a prominent Earth Kingdom family, mostly from their businesses and riches, however, a source of mine tells me that the lineage may unfortunately end without anyone ever knowing of the youngest Beifong.”

More confused than ever, Zuko was about to press for more of an explanation, except they had arrived at their destination. He barely noticed their drive from the airport to the other side of town.

Expected, the gates to the estate opened as they approached and Iroh drove them down the driveway to the front doors where footmen were there to greet them. Zuko was in awe of the gardens they had driven by and at the size of everything. It didn’t rival their palace by any means, but for a citizen of any nation, the teen couldn’t fathom such wealth. He made note to himself to look into Earth Kingdom history, specifically the Beifong family. He could not believe they were never rulers of some sort.

While he marveled at their surroundings, they were led into the mansion and directed to their individual rooms across from each other.

Zuko had not expected them to be staying the night, but his uncle looked at ease and therefore he too accepted his room. Before leaving him, his uncle had advised him to change into something somewhat formal and as soon as the door closed behind him, he panicked.

“I don’t have anything!” Zuko cursed under his breath.

He quickly unzipped his small duffle bag and riffled through it in hopes that he had packed something decent. Most of his attire on him were sweats, jeans, and t-shirts, the rest had been packed and shipped to the academy before they had left.

Unfortunately, he’d have to do with a white t-shirt, dark black jeans, white sneakers, and a red cardigan.

Looking in the mirror, he wished he had gotten a haircut before they departed, but he did his best in taming his hair by sweeping it to the side. Once satisfied, he stepped out of his room to find his uncle waiting. He was dressed in a dark green suit and red tie, ready for business.

“What?” Zuko extended his arms out as his uncle looked him over.“I didn’t expect to be joining you during these meetings,” he hissed quietly.

“I didn’t say it was bad,” Iroh lifted his arms in surrender, “I just forget your age sometimes. I promise you won’t need to worry about what to wear next week when we meet King Bumi.”

Zuko’s unscarred eye twitched.

The two were soon directed to the study where Lao Beifong awaited them.

Once they entered, Mr. Beifong rose from his desk and walked around it to greet them with a bow.

“General Iroh, Prince Zuko, welcome to my humble abode,” he motioned for them to take a seat on his couch. “Can I get you anything to drink? Whiskey, brandy, any alcohol really, juice, tea…?”

Iroh’s preferred drink had always been tea and his eyes lit up even more so when Beifong listed a large variety. Zuko stuck with water.

“I must apologize,” Beifong began after their drink orders were taken, “Mrs. Beifong and my daughter are out at the moment, but they will be back before dinner. I’d like to warn you that my wife, Poppy, will likely want to pick your minds on Fire Nation fashion.”

“Now tell me, how was your trip?”

The study’s doors opened with their beverages and set between them on the black marble coffee table.

“Surprisingly comfortable,” Iroh reached for his cup and chuckled, “I slept the whole way, but that could be due to my age. Airlines sure have evolved for the better!”

The two men continued their pleasantries while Zuko’s eyes studied the room.

When they first walked in, his eyes were originally drawn to the floor to ceiling windows behind Mr. Beifong’s desk. However, just as impressive was the glass and ebony desk that was littered with documents while the rest of the room was neatly kept. Tomes of books comprised most of the other walls, along with expensive looking relics.

The teen wondered if perhaps he should study business instead.

“I understand you wanted to talk to me about her attending your school.”

Zuko’s attention was drawn back to the conversation.

“That is correct,” Iroh sat his empty cup down and straightened up. “I hear your daughter is a very talented musician and I would love for her to grow with other talented students at the academy.”

“Yes, I would like that for her as well, but she is blind. Switching up her environment would be too much for her.”

The more the two spoke about his daughter Toph, the more defensive and agitated Beifong became. He was clearly overprotective of her. If Zuko’s uncle really wanted Toph to attend their school, he doubted his uncle’s strategy would work.

Suddenly, the attention was turned to him when Beifong asked for Zuko’s opinion about the school.

“Eh, well, it has its faults like any other school, I supposed…,” his eyes darted between the two older men. He thought back to the previous school year and how envious he was of all the friendships everyone was creating and mentioned the welcoming environment. Thanks to his club research earlier that day, Zuko spoke about the various after school options the school offered. Then he also mentioned a few of the other students with disabilities and how well they did. “And the—uhm, the academics are definitely the best, far better than any of the tutors I’ve ever had. Class sizes are pretty small… at most ten students to a teacher.”

Examples of other disabled students didn’t seem to capture his attention, but the education side did.

“Better than your royal tutors?”

It clicked for Zuko, he had found a way to help his uncle.

“Oh definitely, uncle has a way of befriending the best masters.”

“Oh no, no, no, no, my little girl does not earth bend. There is no need for masters with her—“

“Pardon for the misunderstanding, sir,” Zuko interrupted, “I generalize the term masters, since the teachers really are masters of the subjects they teach.”

“Oh, I see,” Beifong nodded in consideration. “Well perhaps, it is a subject for discussion in a few more years. Or better yet, those masters could tutor Toph privately for a term or so when they’re done for the summer. For now, I don’t think she’s quite ready for the world, you see.”

For a moment, Zuko pitied the girl he hadn’t even met yet. He had thought his life in the palace had been cage like, but from the sound of it, Toph had it worse.

“But sir,” Zuko attempted one last time, “friendships her age truly enrich her growth and there are no better students, connections, and friends than at the academy!”

“I see, you have a valid point,” Beifong stroked his whiskers. “Connections are important. The academy could be the perfect place for my daughter… with some adjustments of course... Yes, let’s tell them the wonderful news over dinner! They should be back by now.”

The men stood and continued to talk over the finer details while Zuko followed and wondered if he had just liberated the girl or sentenced her to another cage.

It wasn’t long after they were seated at the dinner table when Poppy Beifong arrived. She gushed over Zuko’s supposed style and complemented Iroh’s earthly tones.

“Sometimes I wish I also had a son so I could dress him up like I do my little Toph! Unfortunately, I couldn’t bear another child without risking our lives. We almost lost our little Toph as well. Speaking of which, could one of you go get her?” She spoke to their servers standing around the room.

One of the young maids left, but not even five seconds later returned with a child whom Zuko assumed to be Toph.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Toph Beifong,” she curtsied and smiled demurely, looking even younger than she already was.

Zuko could not believe she was a teen and was proven right as dinner continued.

He learned she was twelve and had learned a little bit of earth ending, but her lessons were cut short due to almost hurting herself. As her parents retold the story Mr. Beifong nearly revoked his approval of sending Toph to the boarding school. However, Iroh promised to send her home every weekend and it seemed to appease the parents.

Zuko tried to observe the girl, but could not read her at all. He couldn’t tell if she was happy, angry, scared, or nervous about the sudden announcement, but he figured he’d try to talk to her before they left the next day.

Fortunately, later that night when everyone retired to their rooms, he was able to speak with his uncle that night and spill all of the questions he had gathered in his head from the moment they arrived. The only one, and possibly the biggest, question was: why?

Why were they admitting a twelve year old?

“Because she’ll be one of the greatest earth benders the world will ever know.” 

Zuko gapped, dumbfounded by his uncle, but was too exhausted to question him further.

The next morning, his befuddlement continued when he spoke to the young girl.

He woke up around five in the morning like usual and asked a worker if there was an area for him to work out. Since none of the Beifongs were benders, there wasn’t, but they led him to a zen garden where there wouldn’t be any significant damage done should his fire grow out of control.

Zuko thanked them and began practicing, beginning with his breathing, then on his poses, and finally fire bending before cooling down. 

“That was pretty cool,” came a voice behind him.

Toph sat on the grass with both feet and hands planted on the ground. She was squinting despite her eyes not focusing.

“Wish I could have seen it better, but it’s kind of foggy with you practicing in the sand.”

Sweating, Zuko wiped himself down before approaching her.

“What do you mean by ‘seen?’”

Grinning in his general direction, she lifted her feet and hands, very unladylike he noted.

“I can feel you move, hear you breathe, and sense your fire.”

“Oh. That’s kind of cool.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Was Zuko a little out of character? A lot? He’s just so complex, and let’s be honest they all, that I don’t think I’m doing them much justice. I’ve only just begun so we’ll see if I can accurately portray them. I’m reading more and more fanfiction from this fandom and I am in awe. Everyone’s take is so interesting and fun that I hope I can add a little to it as well.


	3. School Tour

**Chapter Three: School Tour**

Two weeks in a car with one’s guardian was bound to make an adolescent moody, especially with such an odd relationship like the one Zuko and Iroh had developed over the last year. Despite the two being family, they were as different as night and day. Whereas Iroh was fluid, wise, and cheerful, Zuko was rigid, self-serving, and moody.

The two were more than ready for a break from one another.

Zuko had hoped for some alone time before the hordes of students moved into their dorms, but the two arrived with everyone else.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to queue to get his welcome package which contained his schedule for the year, room information, and other useful documents. Instead, Zuko made a beeline to his room, ignoring all the excited chatter from reunited friends and tearful goodbyes from parents. With any luck, he’d be able to get to his shared room, drop off his bag, freshen up, and seclude himself in the gym without meeting his new roommate just yet. He wasn’t in the mood for awkward introductions.

Luck seemed to be on his side, because when he turned the key and peeked inside, no one was inside. The only things awaiting him in the middle of the room were his bags and a few boxes that were sent ahead. He could have had first pick of the furniture and room placements, but chose to let his roommate make the decisions for them. If he wanted to workout before the welcome dinner, he couldn’t get distracted. Plus, he didn’t care where his bed ended up as long as he had a space for himself.

Thanks to his organization and markings of his boxes, Zuko located a fresh pair of sweats, changed into them, and headed out the door, but not before noticing the uniforms hanging in the built in closets.

At the end of the school year, all students returned their uniforms so that they’d be dry cleaned and then moved into their new rooms when they returned. Their names would be attached to their hangers so that the roommates could differentiate between each other’s clothes in case they wore similar sizes. That year however, it seemed that issue would never be a problem for them because Zuko’s uniform was red and black while his roommate’s uniform was blue and white.

. X . X . X .

As soon as the two Southern Water Tribe siblings received their manila folders from the welcome desk, they settled under a tree with their trunks and arctic gear in tow.

Sokka had promised his sister that he’d show her around, but he was just as excited as she was about her schedule and room assignment. Katara barely glanced at her papers before Sokka snatched them out of her hands and scoured through them himself. He seemed to have memorized it because he knew instantly where to go.

“Come one slowpoke!” Sokka pointed towards the four dorm buildings. “You’re in the Autumn Hall, the farthest building to the rest of the campus, unfortunately. Although lucky for me, I’m in the eastern building, the Spring Hall. We’ll go to mine first and drop off my stuff, then head to yours.”

He began to give her tips for the school year as they walked and followed a small flow of students to the dorms. Katara listened to her brother and marveled at her surroundings, noting a pond and small stream along the way. They weren’t far from the bay either, so she figured she’d have a few places to practice her water bending.

Along their walk, she also noticed many greet her brother as they passed, especially girls older than him. Katara made a mental note to find out if he was secretly dating someone or if he had a particular girl he liked. She could always ask, but she wanted to see his supposed charming skills in action that he had always bragged about back home. If he was as smooth as he claimed to be, she hoped she had inherited those skills as well with guys. For now, however, she’d focus on making friends before getting a boyfriend.

“And here we are!” He swung his arms in the presentation of his dormitory. “Typically, all dorm entrances are open during the day, but they lock right at dinner, so make sure you have your key and school pass on you at all times. Trust me, you don’t want to be caught without it.

“Leave your trunk here while we drop off my stuff. Don’t worry, no one will take it.” He motioned towards a few other unattended luggage scattered within the courtyard between the residence halls. “Now let’s go!”

The first floor looked similar to that of a hotel lobby aimed for teens. There were a variety of chairs, couches, and tables spread throughout, including beanbags and pillows where a few friends were chatting. Having already spent a year in that building before, Sokka didn’t think to explain the check-in desk or what separate dorm functions occurred within each building.

Instead, he led her up a flight of stairs to his assigned room. As they climbed, Katara could hear laughter and excitement from the guys on her brother's floor. She peered into some of the rooms to see guys playing video games, horsing around, and moving things around.

“Oh no!! Teo!! I grew again! My uniform won’t fit!” A shirtless guy with long dark hair ran out of his room with grey trousers too small for him, and stopped short when he saw Katara. “Aaah… uhm… Spirtits!!”

He turned bright red and ran back inside, slamming his door shut.

“That was Haru,” Sokka chuckled at his friend’s outburst. “Poor guy just keeps growing. Luckily our uniforms don’t cost a copper piece.”

“Sokka, is that you?” Came a voice down the hall.

They followed the voice back to the room where Katara saw guys playing video games.

“Hey Teo, The Duke, and Pipsqueak! Are you guys on this floor too? Oh this will be a great year!”

Sokka introduced his sister and his friends before they headed back towards his room. It was locked, so he guessed his roommate wasn’t in, but found his belongings already inside. He added his belongings to the pile then turned around to head back downstairs.

“Don’t you want to put some of your clothes away?”

“Nah, I’ve got all day tomorrow before classes start on Monday. ‘Sides, we’ve only got two hours before dinner and there’s plenty to see.”

They were at the door when Katara asked, “I thought most roommates were from the same or similar regions.”

“Yeah, they are,” Sokka pulled out his key to lock his door again, “why do you ask?”

“Oh,” she was extremely puzzled. “Your roommate’s uniforms looked like what I assume are Fire Nation.”

Sokka burst through the door and looked towards the closets; sure enough, he spotted the differing colors.

“What the blubber nuggets is this?! Why do I have to share my room with an elitist?”

Hearing the commotion, and on his way to look for Haru, Teo wheeled himself over to the siblings. “What’s wrong Sokka?”

Too distraught for words at this point, Sokka dramatically pointed towards the uniforms.

“Whoa,” he whistled, “Fire Nation roommate... and probably a bender too since you aren’t. Double whammy. Haru’s and my room will always be open for you if you need to escape.”

“Thanks, man.”

Dejected once more, Sokka locked his door and sulked his way down the stairs. Katara has more questions about what had just occurred, but figured she’d ask when he was in a better mood.

“So dinner’s in a few hours, but what if you get hungry before?”

Brightening up at the thought of food, Sokka explained that both of their dorms offered snack counters where students could buy an assortment of treats.

“The dining hall is open throughout the day, so if you have time throughout the day, you could buy something there as well.”

They crossed the courtyard to Katara’s dorm, narrowly avoiding a frisbee that was thrown too hard. More and more students were gathering outside to enjoy the nice weather before they ended up indoors for school.

Walking into her hall, Katara noticed a few differences with her brother’s building and hers. There were just as many chairs, couches, and tables as the Spring Hall, but there were multiple bookcases between the large windows. It was a study blogger’s dream, and Katara herself became excited to study there too.

At the check-in like desk stood a short, petite woman in yellow and orange with a blue arrow on her forehead. Her smile warmed the teens as she approached and welcomed them.

“Hello, I’m Sister Amala, Autumn Hall’s mother,” she handed Katara a paper with additional information about the residence hall. “Please come to me if you have any questions or concerns. Our first hall meeting will be tonight at nine here in the main lobby to go over a few more introductions and rules. It’s a pleasure to have you here!”

For their own introduction, she asked for their names and an interesting fact about themselves.

“I’m Katara, and uh… I really love helping and volunteering.”

Sister Amala grinned and clasped her hands behind herself, “That’s wonderful! May I come to you for assistance sometimes?”

Katara smiled, eager to help, “Of course!”

“You’re the sweetest!! May I hug you?” She practically bounced in place.

Giggling, Katara agreed and opened her arms for the small woman to jump into. She was almost a head smaller than the teen, but her hug was strong and loving.

Once she released her, the hall mother turned towards Sokka, “And you are?”

“I’m Sokka, Katara’s older brother,” he stood proudly with his fists to his hips, “and I’m all around interesting, but something extra cool is that I can lick my elbows!”

Amala clapped her hands and asked for a demonstration. Sokka obliged and received another round of applause and look of astonishment. She asked him for a hug as well and he welcomed it.

“I’m always around if either of you need someone to talk to or need a hug, especially hugs!” Amala excused herself and glided to another little group that had just entered.

Together, the two siblings grabbed a hold of Katara’s trunk and ascended up the stairs to the third floor rather than wait to take the elevator. As they walked down the hall toward her room, both siblings peeked into open doors and received friendly waves from the girls that noticed them, one or two greeted Sokka quickly before he continued onward. With each step, Katara grew more and more nervous about meeting her new roommate, but she was just as excited. She hoped they could become close friends.

“Ready?” Sokka could sense her nerves and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. They could hear rustling from the other side.

She nodded, knocked, and entered her room for the year.

At first, it looked like no one was in the room, but then the door attached to their room opened and a beautiful girl with white hair and dark skin appeared behind it with a little box in her arms.

“Oh! Hello!”

“Princess Yue?!” Sokka’s mouth dropped. He had tried talking to her several times last year, but her little groupies barely gave him any time or privacy.

“Sokka, it’s good to see you! I hope you enjoyed summer break,” she sat her box down and walked towards them. “You must be my new roommate. My name is Yue, you don’t have to put Princess before it, in fact, please don’t. I’ve told Sokka before, but he always seems to forget.”

She giggled as she extended her hand towards Katara.

“I’m Katara,” she smiled back, “and that doesn’t surprise me. Sokka’s probably lost a few brain cells from all the sparring we do.”

“Hey!!”

The girls laughed together, pleased to have clicked so easily.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Yue turned to face their room, “I didn’t want to move anything or choose beds before you got here, so I’ve mostly worked in organizing the bathroom. Since this is your first year, why don’t you pick first?”

Katara had heard about the Northern Water Tribe Princess through Sokka and her father, and it was true about her kindness. The princess happily waited for them to appear so that they may make decisions together despite having been the first person in the dorms that morning. The three quickly made some adjustments to the room and settled the beds before the siblings excused themselves to continue Katara’s tour.

“We’re going to walk around the school to show Katara around after we drop off stuff, would you like to come with us?” Sokka invited Yue, hoping to get to spend more time with her.

Unfortunately, she declined and continued to dance around the room, organizing and decorating her now established side of the room.

“If you don’t get back before, I’ll see you at the welcome dinner,” she waved them goodbye.

As soon as they were away from Katara’s room, Sokka begged her to become best friends with her. He admitted developing a small crush on her last year after she was the only one to giggle at a joke of his during class. At first, he had thought she was teasing him, but then they chatted about it a little more after class. Sadly, that was the first and last time they really spoke to one another. Her friends were always around her and guys always tried to prevent him from getting too close as well.

Katara pitied her brother, but made no promises.

“Besides, you shouldn’t blind yourself to other opportunities,” she advised as she noticed a few girls watching her brother. “I even bet there’s a girl or two with a crush on you at this school.”

Sokka straightened up and shot her a finger gun with a wink, “You’re right little sis! Who wouldn’t want a part of me?” 

“There’s the egomaniac I know and love,” she teased.

They continued towards the dining hall between the residence buildings and the actual school. It opened at six in the morning and closed at nine at night with opportunities to work in the kitchen and get paid, or to borrow their kitchen.

“My advice to you, is to always get here early,” Sokka explained, “otherwise you could miss out on the great food! We’ll come back and look inside later for dinner, so let’s skip over it for now. You can make it from here to the other side of the school in ten minutes which is what we’ve got for passing periods; it’s plenty of time.

“Oh! But no bending. Unless you’re in your bending class, you can’t really use it until after school. This rule is especially the hardest for airbenders,” he chuckled at the few instances he witnessed when Sister Ilo would chew out her pupils for running to class with their airbending.

Right by the dining hall was the school’s main entrance. It’s grand doors sat atop stone stairs and were wide open so that students could walk their schedule if they liked. Inside, Sokka noticed there were mostly first years with a few older students as guides inside and waved to a few of them that he recognized.

“Wow, do you know everyone?” Katara was impressed with her brother’s friendliness. He was mostly sarcastic and somewhat moody around her, so it slightly surprised her to see such a big smile on his and the other students’ faces.

“Not really,” he shrugged her amazement. “Just treat everyone like equals and they respect you right back. Although the school is almost 50/50 in regards to benders and non, it’s so easy to become divided between the two factions, let alone each region. Fire Nation citizens especially are a little snobbish, but their non-bender counterparts are a little nicer. I am dreading meeting my new roommate because of that.”

The two wandered the halls with Sokka pointing out Katara’s classes and his own. Occasionally he offered tips and tricks about a few teachers Sokka had the year before, but mostly they explored in silence. 

“What about the practice fields?” Katara looked at her schedule. She had a water bending class in the morning.

Sokka nodded, “We’re kind of heading there right now. Most of the practice fields are in the back of the school, but you’ll spend half of the days in a classroom near the gym. Your practice field is the farthest in the back by the river. We can go to your assigned field tomorrow, but I’ll take you to the gym for now. That’s where you’ll likely meet on Monday.”

They reached the gym classrooms and the weight room before deciding to take a look outside at the practice fields before returning to the dining hall. The closest field to the school was the fire training area followed by the air and earth next to each other and water at the end by the river that led tinto the bay.

Once outside, they noticed a shirtless teen with his back to them practicing his fire bending. Even from somewhat of a distance, the siblings could tell he was sweating profusely and was nearing the end of his exercise. He advanced forward, punching forward into his lunges, then jump kicked, fire shooting out as an extension of him before landing and spinning fire as he swept his foot parallel to the ground. He didn’t notice Sokka and Katara until the fire shot out towards them.

Just as the three of them gasped in shock at what was about to happen, a child jumped from the school's roof and caused a gust of strong wind with his air glider to dissipate the flames, knocking the fire bending teen off balance.

“Whoa! That was close!!” He stood from his crouch in front of the siblings and turned to check if both parties were okay. “Oh man, if I wasn’t chasing Momo on the roof, I don’t think I could have gotten to you on time!”

“Momo?” Katara asked.

“On the roof?!” Sokka exclaimed.

“You’re a full fledged airbender,” Zuko noticed.

“Yeah! I am! Momo’s my flying lemur that stowed away in my stuff before coming here! He escaped once I found him and followed him onto the roof.” As he spoke, a winged lemur with enormous ears settled on the kid’s shoulder and wrapped its tail around his bald head and patted him with it. “I’m Aang by the way, this is Momo. Nice to meet you!”

Momo chartered as if getting them as well and Katara giggled.

“My name’s Katara, and thank you to the both of you for helping us! May I pet him?”

“Of course!” Aang approached her and raised his elbow for Momo to climb across.

“I’m Sokka, Katara’s older brother. Can I—“ he raised his hand tentatively, but stopped short when Momo lunged at him and dove into his shirt to pull out a packet of nuts.

“Momo!” Aang practically jumped on Sokka too to retrieve his misbehaving companion.

Katara laughed even louder at the spectacle.

Zuko stared at Aang, wondering how many more twelve year olds his uncle had invited.

After Sokka, Momo, and Aang de tangled themselves, Zuko briefly introduced himself and then excused himself. He needed to shower before dinner and to get away from such an uncomfortable situation.

“I apologize again for what just happened,” he bowed hastily and disappeared.

“That, my friends, was Prince Zuko, and as always, royally awkward,” Sokka crossed his arms and shook his head as he watched Zuko retreat.

“Friends?” Aang grinned and leaped into the air. “Woohoo! My first friends for the year!”

“Uh, right…,” Sokka raised a brow at the younger kid’s display while his sister stifled her laughter once more. “So Aang, wanna head to the dining hall with us?”

“I’d love to!!” He stuffed Momo down his shirt and followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I hope to continue updating on Sundays, but if there is any delay, I will post it on my profile. 
> 
> Also, please don’t hesitate to ask if something doesn’t make sense. I have a general idea of where I want this to go, but for the most part I’m just as clueless. 
> 
> Thanks again! See you next Sunday!


	4. The Beginning

**Chapter Four: New Friends**

“So tell us about yourself Aang,” Katara started as they walked towards dinner.

“Uh,” he scratched the back of his neck, not knowing how to start, “what do you want to know?”

“Let’s start with some basics,” Sokka began walking backwards to observe the odd boy. “How old are you? No offense, but you don’t look old enough to attend school here. Ouch!”

Katara elbowed his ribs for the rude comment, but Aang raised his hands in defense of his new friend.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m actually twelve, but almost thirteen in a few months,” Aang looked between the siblings. “I’m a little surprised to be the only twelve year old here, but I can understand why the monks sent me here.”

“And why’s that?” Katara asked.

“Well, since I got my arrow pretty young, they said I should be challenged more as I grow and they figured the school would be a good starting place.”

“That makes sense why the other airbenders I saw earlier today didn’t have arrows like yours, but Sister Amala did,” Katara observed. She’d never met other benders, having lived all of her life in the South Pole, and she didn’t like it. The fact that she had a lot to learn about the world made her feel oblivious, so she promised herself to absorb as much as she could while at the academy.

“Sister Amala is here?!” Aang brightened even more, stunning Katara. “I love her hugs!! I haven’t seen her in since she got her arrows!”

“She’s my hall mother, do you want to visit after dinner?”

“I’d love to! But I will probably be in trouble for having Momo here, so I need to let Monk Gyatso know.”

“Then don’t tell anyone,” Sokka suggested. “I can’t even tell he’s in there.” He observed Aang’s flowy orange and yellow airbender robes.

Momo stuck his tail out from Aang’s collar in approval with a few flicks and then darted it back inside.

“Or not…,” Sokka chuckled.

The three made it back to the dining hall as other students began filing in and found an empty table. Sokka explained that normally, students would get their own food by the kitchen counters, but because it was a special occasion, the food would be brought to them after Headmaster Iroh gave a few words and introduced the new set of rotating masters.

While the hall filled up with students and faculty, the three new friends continued to ask each other questions.

Aang has learned that although Katara was the only waterbender between the two siblings, Sokka was multitalented with weapons, especially boomerangs. He also learned that Katara had an interest in healing and health and wanted to become an obst— onstru— baby birth doctor or emergency medicine. Sokka on the other hand wanted to go into politics, although urban development would help out their growing village too.

“Wow! It’s amazing that you already have ideas as to what you want to do when you grow up!” Aang had just met the water tribe siblings, but he could totally imagine them in their chosen fields of study.

“What about you, Aang?” Katara asked. “Is there anything you’d be interested in becoming?”

He shrugged, “I’m just a simple monk. I’ll just go with the flow and help where I can, much like my guardian Monk Gyatso. He’s one of the rotating faculty Sokka mentioned. Although, if I had to pick something, I’d choose…”

“Hey Sokka!”

An excited female’s voice interrupted.

“Do you mind if we join you?”

“SUKI!!” Sokka stood and walked around their table to hug a girl with short auburn hair. “Of course! You didn’t even need to ask. Who’s this?”

Suki stepped aside to introduce a small girl, “This is my roommate, Toph Beifong.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Toph bowed her head in greetings.

They all noticed her eyes and lack of eye contact, however Sokka had to point out the obvious.

“You’re blind.”

Toph barely lifted her right heel and brought it down with enough force to jostle Sokka from where he stood.

“Hey! You’re an earthbender!”

“Nothing gets past you, huh genius?”

“Not really, thanks for noticing,” he proudly grinned.

Katara shook her head in embarrassment for him, “I apologize for my brother, he lacks tact about eighty five percent of the time. I’m Katara, and that was Sokka.”

“Looks like you aren’t the only twelve year old here, Aang,” Sokka observed Toph unabashedly. “You guys are the exact same height too. Hopefully you two don’t get trampled in the hall.”

Toph formed another divot in the floor so that Sokka tripped into his seat.

“I highly doubt tha— Oh!”

Aang had leapt over their table and landed gracefully in front of Toph to compare their heights, “I dunno, Sokka. I think I’m a bit taller. Nice to meet you Toph, I’m Aang!”

“Another airbender,” she muttered under her breath, “great.”

Suki gently steered Aang back to his seat and Toph towards the chair next to Sokka’s sister before tensions grew any higher.

“I can tell we’re all going to be great friends,” she chuckled nervously. “And you must be Katara! Sokka’s told me so much about you.”

Katara crossed her arms, skeptical of any praise from her brother. She knew he loved her, but he was definitely her harshest critic.

“I wouldn’t believe all he says…,” she cautiously warned and Suki giggled.

“All good things I swear! He’s very proud of you.”

“Suki!!” Sokka shushed her as if she had spoiled a grand secret.

Fortunately, Sokka’s secrets were kept and the small squabble between Toph and Aang ended because Headmaster Iroh began his welcome speech at the front of the hall.

His address was not long, he knew how hungry the students must have been from such a long day of moving in. However, he made sure to emphasize friendships and stressed acceptance and tolerance. Older students noticed a more serious tone that year compared to others, but like always, Iroh maintained an open door policy.

“If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to come visit me in my office, or speak to any of your teachers. We are all here for you. My door is always open, especially if you want to try your hand against me in pai sho.

“Please enjoy your dinner and have a great school year!”

Food drifted down by airbenders, rolled down the stone tables by earthbenders, and distributed by precise water whips from the most skilled waterbenders. Many first years, benders and non, marveled at the display. For some, the school was their first encounters with benders of different nationalities. Iroh had mentioned that going forward, and in relation to harmony amongst the students, everyone was welcomed to partake in any elemental class, regardless of their affiliation.

“Now it makes sense that I found waterbending on my schedule,” Aang commented once he finished his small prayer before eating. “I thought it had been a mistake.”

He broke off a piece of bread and stuffed it down his shirt, confusing Suki.

“What time? Maybe we have it together!” Katara pulled out her schedule and passed it to Aang.

“Yeah! We have Water Studies, Literature, lunch, and Biology together,” he returned her paper and turned to Toph. “What about you, Toph?”

“I have no idea,” retrieved her own crumpled schedule from her pocket. “You tell me.”

“History and lunch!”

As Aang returned the schedule and reached for grapes, a small black and white paw poked out of his sleeve as well. Shocked, Suki jumped back with a fork extended out in defense.

“What the Spirits is that?!”

“That’s not nice,” Toph whipped her mouth with the back of her hand, “we’ve already established that his name is Aang.”

Aang huffed, sending a flutter of napkins to her face, preventing her from taking another bite.

“You wanna go, Twinkle Toes?!” The young earth earthbender banged her fist on the table, spilling some of his soup, and no one else’s, on his lap.

“Stop, you could hurt Momo!” Aang hissed.

“Momo?” Suki looked between everyone, wondering what she was missing.

“She can’t see Aang,” Sokka defended her.

“No, I think she’s aware…” Katara quizzically observed.

“I thought we couldn’t bring pets to the school.” Toph bit back.

“Momo’s not a pet, he’s my companion!”

“What do you need a companion for?” She waved a hand in front of her eyes. “You’re not blind.”

Aang explained how Momo was not just a companion, but a friend that had stowed away in his bag before leaving the Southern Air Temple. “He didn’t want to be left behind without me or Appa.”

“Momo? Appa? What is going on here?” Suki was still lost as ever.

Sokka placed a sympathetic hand on Suki, “Our Aang here is special, he’s an animal whisperer.”

“Nooo,” Aang turned to correct his friend, “but that would be cool!! I am vegetarian because I love animals...oh! Maybe I can become a veterinarian!!”

Gasping loudly that attracted many stares around them, Sokka held a hand over his throat in a mock pearl clutch.

“Vegetarian? That’s blasphemy!! Katara, shield your eyes!”

Katara rolled her eyes instead and smiled warmly at Aang, “That sounds like a great idea! I can totally see you as a veterinarian.”

Eventually, Aang promised to introduce everyone to Appa and Momo, hopefully before they had to send Momo back to the Southern Air Temple. Momo didn’t like the sound of it and threatened to escape again, but Aang appeased him by stuffing more food down his shirt. All throughout dinner, he received weird looks from other students passing whenever Momo began to struggle. Fortunately, Momo began to settle down as he became full and Aang patted him through his clothes.

Once they finished their dinner, the new friends had to go their separate ways in order to attend their dorm meetings. Sokka walked Suki and Toph to their dorm while Aang walked with Katara.

“Let’s take the long way around so that Momo can come out,” Katara took Aang’s hand and led them north, back around Aang’s dorm in the Winter Hall.

At this, Aang couldn’t help but feel warm and thrilled. His first friend at the school seemed to love Momo just as he did. As soon as they were out of sight from most of their peers, Aang pulled on his collar and Momo’s head popped out. With encouragement from Aang and Katara, he glided up into the air to stretch out his limbs, then swooped down onto Katara. His soft fur tickling her cheeks.

He patted her cheeks and pointed to the sky, flying up and around then landing back on her shoulder to repeat his motions.

“She can’t fly silly,” Aang giggled, “Katara’s a waterbender, not an airbender. We’ll fly tomorrow; how does that sound, buddy?”

Momo had jumped onto Aang from Katara and nodded.

“You can fly?” Katara marveled at Aang, then watched Momo take off again.

“Well, it’s really gliding more than flying. I can’t do it on my own—oh!! Let’s all go flying on Appa tomorrow after you all meet him!”

“Sure! That sounds great!” Katara took out her phone so they could exchange numbers. “Can I have your number so I can get a group chat started?”

This puzzled Aang. He wasn’t sure what number she meant… room number? Birth date? What numbers?

“Uh…”

He realized he needed to admit he wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but Katara beat him to the punch.

Incredulously, she asked, “Do you have a wi-le phone number…?”

“Nope. May I see yours?”

He gently took it from her when she passed it to him. As he peered at the phone curiously, she watched him in fascination as well. Katara had assumed her village was one of the last places in the world to get wireless towers installed, but maybe it hadn’t been.

“Here, let me unlock it for you,” she unlocked it from his hand, not really caring if he memorized her code. “Swipe with your finger if you want to see the apps I have.”

“Apps?”

“Applications, wow this is kind of weird. I never thought I’d have to explain this to someone younger than me,” she clicked on a game when Aang swiped towards it. “They’re add-ons for the phone so you can play games, take pictures, chat, upload said pictures onto a social media platform…”

Aang returned it with a smile on his face, “That’s cool! Some of the monks have phones too, but they’re flippy and really tiny. From what I’ve seen, they don’t use them that often.”

They arrived at Katara’s residence, careful to remain in the shadows as Momo circled above them. They didn’t quite want to separate just yet, so they watched Momo chase after bugs for a few more minutes. Although they enjoyed their comfortable silence, Katara’s mind was a whirlwind.

She wondered about Aang’s culture and his childhood. How different they must have been raised and their differing perspectives on life. Katara was excited to learn from and about him. He was an airbending master, yet didn’t know much about wi-le phones.

While Momo swooped and circled above, an idea occurred to her.

“Momo can be our method of communication!”

Again, she grabbed Aang by the hand and led him around her hall towards the bay. She pointed up towards the third floor and counted a few windows to identify her room.

“That one!” She was pretty certain it was her room at least. It was decorated in glow in the dark star stickers that must have been Yue’s. “Send Momo tomorrow morning when you’re ready to meet. Do you see it, Momo?”

Katara mimicked how Aang would raise his elbow so that Momo could land more comfortably. She pointed to herself, then to her room, speaking slowly and hoping Momo understood her. “Me, that is my room. Knock on the window and I will open.”

To Aang she said, “Send Momo whenever you want to communicate with me.”

He eagerly nodded, excited about the idea.

“Perfect! We best get going, our meetings will start soon.”

The two wished each other good night and returned to their halls, Aang feeling lighter than ever. He would try to focus on his meeting with the rest of his hall, but he knew thoughts of Momo and Katara would distract him. The two took to each other so effortlessly that Aang knew Katara would be a great friend for the both of them. He hoped Appa liked her too and all of his new friends.

As soon as the meeting ended, he dashed up to his room and wrote her a message.

_Katara,_

_Hope your meeting went well! I wanted to try a practice run so I wrote this message._

_Thank you for being my first friend! Momo says thanks too! Hope you sleep well!_

_Sweet dreams!_

_Aang_

He folded it and went up to the hall’s roof to release Momo from his confinement from inside his shirt again. It was late. Their meeting had taken a little under two hours, so he doubted Katara would even see Momo, but he had to try.

“Okay buddy,” he scratched Momo under his chin then handed him a folded note. “I need you to give this to Katara. Ka-ta-ra. You got that?”

Momo chirped in agreement then took off towards Autumn Hall, note in hand. He disappeared around the corner which was at least a good start.

In Katara’s and Yue’s room, the girls were getting to know each other as they prepared for bed. Following Sister Amala’s advice, the two girls spoke about their sleep habits and preferences. For all they knew, neither girl snores, but Yue did know she sometimes talked in her sleep, especially when stressed. Katara admitted she was typically a night owl and promised to return quietly to their room if she were out past Yue’s set bedtime. Yue always tried to be in bed by 10:30pm and understood if Katara remained up past that time.

With their differences, some of their similarities came as a relief. Both girls dedicated half an hour to skin care before bed. However, Yue typically had an audio book or something else in the background while Katara preferred to hum to herself. That night, they compromised with soft music.

Finishing up, Katara was about to close the curtains, but Yue requested to leave them open. She loved letting moonlight stream in and confessed she was a little scared of the dark. Katara smiled, glad that they could be honest with each other and turned off the lights.

Not a moment later, there was a little knock on the glass.

“What was that?” Yue called out.

Katara opened the window and allowed Momo to come in, “A little friend.”

“What **_is_ ** that?” She reiterated, a little scared that suddenly an animal was in their room.

“My friend’s flying lemur,” Katara received Aang’s note and read it quickly. “Momo, this is Yue, Yue, this is Momo. Let me respond to Aang then I’ll go to bed.”

Yue snuggled deeper into her blankets, sounding sleepy. “Your friend doesn’t have a phone.”

“No, and that was so weird for me…,” she looked through her book bag to find paper and a pen. “I had to explain a few things to him like apps. I wonder if he’s ever seen a mover.”

The princess softly snorted, “He must be an airbender then. They’re pretty naive when it comes to technology when they first arrive. It’s really cute sometimes. I can.. tell you stories tomorrow… Oh, did... you know.. that… thaf the… afatar...”

Katara turned around to find Yue fast asleep. She had always been envious of Sokka’s ability to fall asleep at the drop of a hat ,and now she’d be a little envious of her roommate too. For the time being, she shrugged it off, she was way more productive at night anyway.

She scratched Momo before beginning to respond to Aang’s note.

_Aang,_

_The meeting went well! I really love how Sister Amala brings so much energy into everything she does._

_Momo did such a great job! If you’ve got treats for him, make sure you give him one from me too. I should be thanking both of you for being my friends! I can’t wait to teach you new things and learn from you as well!_

_Sweet dreams, Aang! I know I will!_

_Katara_

“Okay Momo, here you go,” she whispered. She scratched him behind the ears again and handed him a new note. “I hope you get to stay with Aang. You’re such a good boy.”

She opened the window and he took off into the night. Katara stayed there for a moment to watch the moon’s reflection in the bay. The school was very different from back home, but she wasn’t homesick yet. There was so much to learn and do that she doubted she’d miss it anytime soon other than her father.

Before returning to bed, Katara silently prayed to the Moon spirit to keep her father safe and in good health. To the other spirits, she thanked them for her new friends, Yue, Suki, Toph, Momo, and Aang.

. X . X . X .

Sokka had stayed downstairs to catch up with a few of the guys after the dorm meetings. Many of them hadn’t changed too much over the summer break, but a few he couldn’t believe were who they claimed to be. Puberty was terrifying.

“Alright guys,” Sokka stood to stretch his limbs. “Time to hit the hay and face the flames. I couldn’t figure out which Fire Nation kid was my new roommate, there were too many of them by themselves. Do you think any of them actually like each other?”

Teo shrugged, “There are a few more this year than last, but they’ve always been more reserved than others. It is a part of their culture.”

“Hmm,” Sokka crosses his arms, “for being firebenders, they should learn to lighten up.”

Haru face palmed, Sokka was still very much Sokka after their summer vacation.

“Either way,” he continued. “I promised to meet my sister and her friend tomorrow morning, so I need to wake up somewhat early.”

“Speaking of sister,” Teo grinned wickedly at Haru. “Someone’s a little flustered by the thought of her.”

Sokka was confused by the looks Haru and Teo were giving each other, but dismissed them. “Riiight, anyway, good night! See you guys at the club booths tomorrow.” 

“So you don’t mind?” Haru called out surprised.

“‘Course not,” he disappeared upstairs, not completely understanding what Haru meant, but not too concerned about it either.

When he got to his room, he found the lights on, but one of the beds was occupied with their back turned towards the door. Sokka was tempted to tiptoe over to his roommate to discover who he could be, but decided against it. He really shouldn’t start off on the wrong foot.

As quickly and quietly as he could, he stripped down and into sweatpants, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and reviewing! So something you may have noticed was that I called cell phones wi-le phones and mentioned movers. In case you never watched Legend of Korra, mover was a term for movie. I kinda wanted to change a few terms here and there to make it seem like their modern world, but I'm not completely sold on it and will leave it as is for now.
> 
> Thanks again!


	5. Belonging

**Chapter Five: Belonging**

As soon as the sun’s rays peaked over the horizon, Zuko began to stir. No matter how tired he was from the day before or how overcast the sky had been, the fire within him would ignite. Had he been alone, he would have groaned awake, but with a new roommate, he bit his tongue. However, he hadn’t noticed the room’s temperature steadily rising until he saw Sokka on the other bed with his sheets on the floor and sweating. 

Instantly the temperature dropped and Zuko stopped breathing. 

He dragged his hand down his face, not wanting to believe what he was seeing to be true. Of course karma would make Sokka his roommate. Not only had he almost burned him and his sister the day before, but if Zuko were honest with himself, he had always been envious of Sokka. 

People gravitated towards him without even trying. Even from afar, Zuko could tell that Sokka was a natural born leader. He’d say the most ridiculous things and yet still win people over. Sokka could disarm anyone with a simple smile. Zuko recalled how as first years, everyone in their literature class had wanted to be in Sokka’s presentation group. Fun times guaranteed. Even with all the ruckus his group would make during class and their teacher always scolding them, his presentations were phenomenal. 

He was definitely more serious when it came to the sciences. Instead of goofing off and giggling with whatever cohort he had with him in that class, Sokka would be very attentive and always asked questions. The teacher had a habit of over complicating the lesson, but somehow, Sokka always managed to dumb it down for the rest of the class. Zuko once observed how even his Fire Nation peers appreciated him for that and promptly scribbled down notes. 

And that was only his academic side.

Huffing in annoyance, Zuko changed into a clean pair of sweats, pulled a sweatshirt over his head, and strode out the door, not bothering with his shoelaces until he was outside the dorm. 

Fresh air and the campus’s stillness helped clear his head. His anxious mind stifled for the time being. It was the perfect recipe for meditation, but Zuko didn’t want to waste his morning energy by staying still. 

He stretched for a few minutes before starting off with a jog towards the bay and stables with the sun rising to his back. If he took the long route, he’d be able to avoid the early rising airbenders’ communal meditations on their practice field. He’d been invited several times by Sister Ilo to join them, but it never felt right. He imagined tainting their pureness by simply being there. Even though Sister Ilo rotated out, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that another nun or monk would extend the offer. They were all the same. 

Just as Zuko reached the stables, a burst of air slammed the doors open and the airbender from before shot out. He flew past Zuko, perfectly balanced on what he assumed to be some sort of air sphere or another.

Pausing to watch him go and to make sure no one else would catapult out of the stables, he remembered his name, “Aang.”

The boy turned around, as if he heard his barely audible name, and crashed into a light post. 

If he would have simply tripped, Zuko could have brushed it off as if it never happened and continued on with his morning routine. The resounding thud and startled scatter of pigeon squirrels, however, concerned him a little.

“Are you okay?!” He jogged back towards a motionless Aang. 

Groaning, he slowly looked up. 

“Whoa! Prince Zuko!” Aang floated upright and grinned at the older teen then sobered up. He bowed and apologized for knocking him down yesterday. 

“Uh, don’t worry about it. I should be thanking you for saving them.” Zuko looked behind Aang at the rising sun, “So… ah, it’s getting late, I should get going…” 

He bowed to Aang the correct way, and thought to properly teach him as well. “By the way, that Fire Nation bow was a little off. If you really want to impress a citizen of the Fire Nation, your hands should be like so.” Zuko placed his right fist, thumb side up under his left outstretched palm and stooped a little. 

“See you around,” he turned back to run and heard Aang gasp then run the opposite direction. 

Aang was late!

He had meant to see Monk Gyatso before any of the other airbenders arrived for meditation, but he ended up sleeping with Appa and lost track of time. The three had stayed up fairly late listening to Aang go over his first day on the campus and planned their morning flight together. 

“You’re gonna love them, Appa!” Aang and Momo had assured their giant friend and began describing them to him. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep and did not make it back to his room. 

Guilt settled in his stomach for not letting his roommate know his whereabouts then turned into panic. Their dorm father had seriously stressed that every student must be in their room by midnight or else face serious consequences. 

Aang gulped. 

He approached his fellow airbenders as quietly as he could and sat at the very back so as to not to disturb their meditations. And for the most part he had succeeded, the younger students did not notice anything astray, however the experienced airbenders winced at Aang’s loud aura. Had they been any other group other than air nomads, Aang would have been severely punished in front of all his peers. Instead, after Monk Gyatso brought everyone back to the present, he dismisses everyone except for Aang. 

His aura morphed once more as he approached his mentor.

Gyatso held back a chuckle, “Tell me what ailes you, my child.” 

Unable to string anything coherent, his mentor encouraged him to start from the beginning. 

With a big gulp of air, Aang started, “ItwasaverydifficultgoodbyeandIwascryingsomuchthatInevernoticedthatMomosneakedintomybagsbeforeweflewoff—“

Gyatso blinked in surprise and raised a hand to stop Aang. “Aang, my ears and mind are getting slow with age, take pity on this ancient monk and relax. So you’re saying Momo came with you after all?”

All of Aang’s energy rushed out of him and his shoulders sagged down, “Yes.”

“I see,” Gyatso stroked his mustache. “What do you suggest we do?” 

Aang didn’t want to say. He knew they needed to send Momo back home, but the thought of being separated from his dear friend tore at him. It was unfair to all parties. 

“I don’t,” he stopped himself short, unsure of what to say and sighed. At first, Aang was willing to let Gyatso lay the verdict, but then continued. “He needs to go back. It wouldn’t be fair to allow him to stay here.”

He summoned the courage to look up at his mentor and smiled sadly, “I am thankful he was here with me. While I was chasing him, I was able to make friends. Momo even became my little messenger.. uh app? He was a live wi-le phone for me.” 

Aang went on to explain everything to Gyatso, from how Momo saved the day to how he had woken him half an hour ago. He could see the love and passion in the boy and knew he would do everything in his power to keep Aang happy for as long as he could before the weight of the worlds were thrust upon him. 

Then an idea sprung into the older man’s mind. Momo could help Gyatso keep an eye on Aang and help extend his childhood before responsibility reigned his life. There was nothing more childlike than playing telephone. 

“There is  _ one _ thing we could do, but I’ll have to get approval from the headmaster of course,” he side eyed Aang to gauge his reactions. “If you’d rather have Momo over a phone, perhaps a few rules could be bent…” 

Aang shot forward to hug him. He didn’t know what he could have done in his past life to deserve someone like Gyatso in his life. The two remained in their embrace as Aang explained their plan for the day. 

Permission granted to meet with his friends, Aang sent another note to Katara via Momo. They arranged to meet for breakfast, then to go on a ride on Appa afterwards. 

The only one to deny the invitation was Toph. She’d be there to meet the flying bison, but refused going up in the air on one. The short flight to the school had been miserable enough, thus she'd rather remain grounded for as long as she could. She waved to them as they took off and set off to explore her surroundings once more. 

As she moved closer to the school, she could feel hollowness meters and meters below her feet. An intricate system of tunnels ran under the school, barely wide enough for two people at a time. As far as she could tell, they shot out in various directions for as far as anyone could really tell. 

She had heard of the Cave of Two Lovers between their school and Omashu, but fairy tales had never interested her. Until she felt the complexity under her, she assumed the story had been made up by some romantics, but there may be some validity to the story. Toph wondered if she could sneak down into the tunnels. 

To anyone who might have been watching her, she was just wandering around the campus near the flowers; Zuko knew otherwise. She had explained to him how she could sense her surroundings with her feet and her footwork looked like she was lightly stomping. 

“What’s up Sparky?” She called out once Zuko was within earshot. 

“I should be asking you,” he crossed his arms and watched her feel around with her bare feet. It looked like she had shoes on, but the soles had been ripped off from the rest. He wasn’t even sure they could even be called shoes anymore. “You’re more than welcome to go inside to find your classes, if that’s what you’re loo—feeling for.”

“Oh, sure,” she walked up the stairs, hoping to find more tunnels. “So your uncle’s been the headmaster for how long?” 

Zuko thought for a moment and admitted he wasn’t quite sure. He figured no more than five years and no less than two, yet he never thought to ask. There were many holes in Zuko’s knowledge of his uncle’s life. The man had harbored a lot of hardship and Zuko didn’t want to bring him any more pain if he could help it. 

“Do you think he knows about the tunnels—“

“Zuzu!” An unfamiliar voice to Toph called out. “At last I’ve found you.”

She felt Zuko’s pulse quicken, but his voice sounded steady and almost accusatory.

“Azula, what are you doing here?”

Azula strode to them as if she had all the time in the world, betraying any excitement she had in her voice. Even without vision, Toph could sense Azula studying her and dismissing her.

“That’s no way to greet your loving sister, Zuzu,” she smirked up at him. “And look at you, you’ve grown since I’ve last seen you!” 

“Why. Are. You. Here?”

The princesses looked between Toph and Zuko, wishing the child would just leave them already. 

“Don’t you think she’s a little too young for you? You could do way better; Mai’s here too by the way.”

“Azula!” 

Again Toph noticed the girl’s ease despite Zuko’s outburst and heat increase. Had Toph not been well rooted to the ground, she might have jumped away from him, not wanting to be burned. Proper etiquette also dictated her to excuse herself, but much like what was underground, she wanted to know what was going on. 

Rolling her eyes, she explained that she had obviously been invited to attend their stupid school and that their father had encouraged her to go. 

“Here, Father even sent you a letter,” she handed him an envelope with the Fire Lord’s seal still intact. “He’s very sorry for what he’s done to you… I’m sorry, who  _ are  _ you?”

“Toph, Zuko’s friend,” Toph held back a giggle at Azula’s disgust and bowed respectfully despite really wanting to knock her down. 

“Whatever,” she turned and waved at her brother, “See you around Zuzu.”

Once Azula was gone, Zuko turned curiously at Toph, “Why didn’t you properly introduce yourself as a Beifong?”

“What does it matter?” She turned towards the dining hall, sensing lunch time. “Wouldn’t have changed how Princess viewed me. Wanna grab some lunch?”

Just then, a ping from her phone rang and Toph had her phone read it aloud to her. 

“Message from Suki: Hey Toph! Sokka and the gang are headed towards lunch, want to join?”

Zuko’s pulse accelerated again, and for a split second, she wondered if his sister had returned, but she felt no one besides them. 

“No thank you, I had plans to eat with my uncle before he becomes too busy with the school year,” Zuko lied. “I’ll see you around. Message me if you need any help.”

Before she could call him out, he turned and went the opposite direction of the hall. 

Curious, but not overly concerned, Toph dismissed his odd reaction and headed to meet her other friends. She also figured she had all school year to discover what was under the school.

. X . X . X . 

After lunch was the club fair. Sokka and Suki excused themselves after finishing their meal so that they could assist with their clubs’ booths and made the younger three promise to visit them at their stalls. 

While they waited for the booths to be ready, the three decided to stay put and look through the little club booklet given to them with their welcome packet. 

“What are you interested in, Toph?” Katara leafed through to read off club names and their brief description. 

“Nothing really,” she responded nonchalantly, but then slammed her palms on the table as she thought of something. “Do they have an earth bending fighting ring?”

Slightly annoyed at her display, Katara listed a few clubs, “Uh, they have an archeology club, a geology club, a rock ball club, a rock gardening club, rock music—oh, ha! I mean you could still join that music club, but uhm… Let’s see, there’s a bender’s association, it reads:

_ “The Bender’s Association is a club for benders only where we practice and develop our styles by learning from others. Older students mentor younger ones and we occasionally cross train with other elements. We meet every Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in the practice fields after school on school days and mid-mornings on Saturdays. Saturdays are mandatory.” _

“Nope,” Toph began picking at her ear with her pinky. “Sounds boring and I wouldn’t be able to attend any Saturday meetings, I have to go home every Friday night.”

“Really, how come?” Aang stopped reading over Katara’s shoulder and peeked around her. 

“Parents,” Toph answered simply. “It’s one of the conditions for me to even attend the school. If it wasn’t for Zuko, I doubt I would even be allowed outside.”

“ _ Prince _ Zuko?” Katara asked.

“Is there any other Zuko?” Toph retorted back. 

The three began to share their experiences with the awkward teen, but Toph kept quiet about her most recent encounter with him and his sister. She didn’t want to spread any rumors about him or his sister, and something felt off about that interaction. Until she’s done a better character analysis of Katara and Aang, and Zuko and his sister, then she might share her cards. Beifongs always made connections wherever, but true allies were rarely established so quickly. 

“Alright! I think it’s time! The booths should be ready,” Aang jumped out of his seat in excitement. 

As he landed and went to take his first step, Toph shifted the tile under his foot and almost tripped him. Only his breath helped him from face planting into the floor. 

“Toph!” Aang growled as he righted himself. 

She grinned, “I’m still not over the fact that I cannot quite see you, Twinkle Toes. Best get used to it.”

“I’ll show you,” he opened his mouth to take in a big breath, but deflated when Katara stood over him with her fists on her hips. 

“Will you two quit flirting?” 

“FLIRTING?!” They cried in unison. 

Katara disappeared through the door before they could get back at her for that comment. She giggled that she lost them for a second, but was too preoccupied with her friends behind her to notice the boy around the corner. 

She crashed into his shoulder and was falling back, but he grabbed her around her waist just in time. Toph and Aang appeared at the door to witness their friend’s embarrassment.

“Look who’s flirting now?” Toph called out. 

“Whoa, nice save,” Aang complimented the teen. 

“Sorry about that, and thanks,” Katara bashfully looked at him. 

Pulling her back towards him to steady her, the guy smiled devilishly at her, “Not a problem, it was definitely worth it.” 

Katara was entranced by the teen’s good looks and suave demeanor that it became Toph’s responsibility to bring her back. All too gladly, she discreetly shot a pebble to the back of her head, snapping her out of whatever daydream she began to hallucinate in her head. 

“I’m Jet by the way,” he noticed the blue tones in her outfit and stuck out his hand. “Nice to run into you.”

Automatically, she grasped his forearm in traditional water tribe fashion and introduced herself, then the others. 

He asked them if they were on their way to the club fair and offered to show them the way. While they walked he asked if they were looking for anything specific and Katara voiced that they were going to browse. 

“You should consider joining the Freedom Fighters,” he smiled at Katara first then at Toph and Aang. “We’re a club that encompasses a variety of interests from debate to volunteer services… aaaand sometimes we dabble in some anarchy…”

“Awesome,” Toph approved. 

“What do you mean by anarchy?” Aang cocked his head in curiosity. 

Jet jumped onto the brick fence separating the gardens from the rest of the campus and walked backwards to speak to them. 

“I like to say defenders of the weak, but it does involve a little bit of chaos, of course you won’t find this in the booklets,” he backflipped off the fence and continued walking backwards. “The school claims of its balance and equality of both benders and non-benders, but we students have found that to not be completely truthful. 

“As defenders of the weak, we like to keep those haughty students in check. Upon our observations, they’re typically Fire Nation students, and occasionally other strong benders, but we don’t discriminate. Sometimes even non-benders need some reality checking.”

“So it’s okay that the three of us are also benders?” Aang asked, not entirely sold on the club, but did find it interesting. 

“Of course!” Jet winked at Aang, “As long as you’re humble and don’t get too cocky. You’d be our first bender allies!” 

They arrived at the first set of stalls and Jet gave them a two finger salute, “Think about it. The booths are set up alphabetically, so I’ll leave you here to wander down them. We’re the Freedom Fighters, see you soon.” 

They waved to him until he disappeared among the crowd. 

“You can stop drooling, Katara.” Toph snickered and Aang quizzically checked different angles for such drool, but didn’t see anything. 

“Toph! I swear—“ she popped open the cap of her water bottle to threaten her, but quickly regained her wits. Just from watching Aang and her squabble, Katara knew anything involving Toph always escalated. “Let’s just look to see if anything catches our eyes. Want me to read them out to you?” 

Doubting she’d be interested in anything, Toph shrugged, “Knock yourself out.”

She began naming a few, and quickly found one that interested her instead. “Hey look, what about the Avatar Club?” She grabbed Toph’s hand and led them to the booth. “They have all four symbols, maybe you can earthbend within the club.” 

The stall was pretty barren compared to the others surrounding it. Aside from their colorful sign, the two girls representing the club sat behind a few old looking trinkets. 

As the three approached, the girls perked up after so many students overlooked them.

“Welcome! Welcome!” The girl with a similar looking necklace to Katara’s waved them over. “Benders and non are welcomed!”

“Are you interested in learning about the Avatar’s past?” The other girl, slightly older than the water tribe girl, motioned for Aang to step forward. She wore similar robes to Aang, but they didn’t quite recognize each other. “Do you recall these?” 

Toph neared the table and without hesitation, picked up a wooden hog monkey, gently feeling it with her fingers, “Are these toys?” 

Startled that the girl boldly lifted a replica without asking, the water tribe girl squeaked in retaliation and failed to stop Katara and Aang also lifting the respective toys from their own cultures.

“Yeah!” Aang played with the whirligig much like he had when he was younger. “The monks spread out a lot of toys for us to pick from. I remember we were all a little sad that we couldn’t keep them.”

Katara spun the hand drum between her palms, drawing attention from other booths with its clanking. “Really? Every kid had these in the Southern Water Tribe.”

“ _ And  _ the Northern Water Tribe,” she snatched the toys back from them. “Please don’t touch! They may be replicas of the original ones, but they’re still very fragile.”

The air nomad girl smiled and placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder to calm her. “It’s okay. I can always make another if they break.”

“Wow you made all these?” Aang reached for another, but stopped short when the water tribe girl glared. 

“Sister Ilo taught us how to make them a few years ago,” the airbender girl eyed Aang’s tattoos. “Ever since we students realized that the next Avatar will be around our age, we decided to create this club to help him or her learn about their past. Though after studying the cycles, we now know to expect a male airbender as the next reincarnation since Yangchen was female.” 

“That’s neat,” Aang lost interest if he couldn’t play with the toys. He turned to look at Katara and saw the fascination in her eyes. “Are you thinking of joining?” 

“Yeah, why not? Wouldn’t it be cool to learn about old Avatars and possibly meet the new Avatar?” Katara looked excitedly between Toph and Aang. 

Toph shrugged nonchalantly, “Meh, I’ve got my token twinkle toes, lemonade princess, and sparky pants, I don’t need to meet someone with all four abilities at once.”

“Lemonade princess? Who’s that?” Katara saw the signup sheet and scribbled her contact info. “Do you want to join me, Aang?” 

He shrugged, “Sure.”

“Aang!! That’s what it was!” The airbender blushed at her outburst. “Sorry, I heard about you being the youngest to get their arrows, but I couldn’t remember your name. I’m aiming to get mine this year.” She smiled sheepishly. 

The two began discussing the test and Aang admitted that he had only learned 35 of the 36 techniques, but had created the air scooter, allowing him to pass. Meanwhile, Toph and Katara began to argue about having her join them as well. Fortunately for Katara, Toph was blind and couldn’t see that Katara wrote her information down as well as Sokka’s. 

The two girls let Aang finish up his conversation and

Toph whispered to Katara, “What if Aang’s the next Avatar?”

“Wouldn’t he have told us?” Katara crooked an eyebrow, but kept her voice low as well. 

Toph crosses her arms in contemplation, “Maybe not, he’s just extra light in his feet. It bothers me a little that I can’t fully visualize him.”

“Well he is a master airbender, that’s why he has his tattoos already,” Katara turned to watch Aang animatedly talk with the other airbender. 

“Aang has tattoos? Nice.” The new found respect Toph found for him did not mean she’d stop picking on him though. “Let’s leave them Lemonade Princess, he’ll catch up eventually.” 

Katara let Aang know they would be down a few stalls and carried on with Toph. She read a few club names to Toph but none really interested either of them.

“Look, there’s Sokka,” Toph pointed towards Katara’s brother at his football club. 

“What, no nickname for him?”

“Not yet, but he’ll get one too, don’t you worry.”

They approached him and as soon as they were within earshot, he asked for Katara to run an errand for him. He’d forgotten his jersey in his room and asked for them to retrieve it. Aang had caught up and offered get it for him. 

“Thanks Aang,” Katara rolled her eyes at her brother, “but it’d be easier if I went. I did most of the packing so I have a better idea of where it’s located if he hasn’t already torn his room apart.” 

“Hey! It’s all—mostly— untouched,” Sokka stuck his tongue out at her. “I haven’t even met my roommate yet because the dude left super early and was asleep when I got to the room last night. So everything’s still packed because I have no clue what the guy will gripe about.”

Katara dismissed his excuses and began running back to the dorms. Halfway there, she regretted not taking Aang up on his offer, but maintained a steady pace. Perhaps she’d take up a sports team to stay in shape during the school year, she thought. 

Finally reaching her brother’s dorm, she made her way up the stairs to his room. A few guys could be found throughout, but for the most part, most of the students were at the club fair. She ignored their surprised looks and ducked into her brother’s room with the key he had given her. 

Just like he had mentioned, their room had looked devoid of personality. Her and Yue had gone all out with their decorations and personal touches that morning that she momentarily pitied her brother. She couldn’t imagine sharing a room with such strict upbringing like those from the Fire Nation. 

Focusing on the task at hand, Katara spotted Sokka’s trunk at the foot of his bed and quickly retrieved what she had come for. She was about to run out the door when she saw a letter on one of the desks. 

It sat open, practically begging for it to be read. 

Just a peek at the header, Katara reasoned, that way, she could figure out who was her brother’s roommate. 

Without touching it, she read that it was addressed to:  _ My son, Zuko.  _

Katara gasped and here eyes continued to skim the rest:

_ My son, Zuko, _

_ I hope you haven’t forgotten your duty to your country. You’ve grown unruly after your mother’s disappearance, and I hope you’ve grown out of it. I am more than happy to welcome you back if you and your sister can accomplish a few tasks while at that so-called elite school. _

_ My sources claim that the Avatar should be of age to attend the school and I need you and Azula to— _

Katara heard the shower stop and realized Zuko was there. She pivoted quickly and shot out towards the door, exiting just as she heard the bathroom’s door open. 

Zuko witnessed long, chocolate brown hair and a blue long skirt slip behind the latching door. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! I’ve noticed my word count keeps getting longer and longer yet I feel like I’m not really going anywhere... except that I am!! I promise! 
> 
> I welcome your thoughts and criticisms. Do you think these chapters are too long? Too many OCs? Not enough plot in each chapter? Don’t feel pressured to respond to me if you’re enjoying this random ride. I’ve found that I love writing about even the most trivial of moments between these characters and the world (and I’ve cut down on a lot of that). 
> 
> Either way, thank you for all of your support!! I’m off to rewatch the series for the billionth time and write some more!


	6. Overload

**Chapter Six: Overload**

To say Katara was overwhelmed when she returned was an understatement. She had news to share with her brother, but it seemed everyone else also had something to share. Aang was the quickest to get to her.

“Katara! Katara! I sighed us up for the dance team!”

“Sokka said you’re going with him to the improv club!” Toph added, a smirk on her lips. “Don’t worry, their times don’t clash with your boyfriend’s Freedom Fighting club.”

“Hey, thanks for the Jersey!” Sokka snatched the shirt from her. “Can you get me some water? They have some bottles down the—“

Katara held her palms out away from her to stop everyone from talking at once.

“Sokka, I know who your roommate is! There was a letter on his desk and I saw that it was addressed to Zuko! I couldn’t read more of it, because he was about to come out of the shower—“

“Already cheating on your boyfriend?!” Toph gasped in mock disgust.

“Would you just stop?!” Katara rounded on Toph, ready to give her a piece of her mind, but stopped short at Sokka’s interruption.

“Hold up, what boyfriend?” Sokka began to catch up on their conversations. “Jet’s Freedom Fighting Club? Jet better not be the boyfriend. He’s not the boyfriend, right? Aang, tell me you’re the boyfriend. Why are you cheating on Aang with Zuko? Wait—Zuko’s my roommate?!”

Katara’s eyebrow twitched. She briefly contemplated walking away from them and starting anew. No one needed to know Sokka was her brother, and Toph and Aang just met her, they didn’t really need her. Fortunately for them, Katara took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose to reign in her temper a little.

“No one’s my boyfriend!” Katara interrupted a stuttering Aang and cackling Toph. She snatched the water bottle she had left behind with Aang and handed it to Sokka. “Roommate mystery solved. See you at dinner.”

Still annoyed, she turned to walk away, perhaps in search of a club that could help her suppress her anger issues.

Aang grabbed Toph and followed after her, waving goodbye to a baffled Sokka.

The trio checked out a few more clubs and left their information on sign-up sheets. Aang had no idea how email worked, but he trusted what Katara and Toph told him about it. However, just in case his email fell through, he had written notes in a tiny writing pad and tucked it back into his shirt.

“What all do you store in there?” Katara stepped back to observe Aang’s figure. She figured he’d form some sort of bulk under his shirt with everything he hides within it, but she could spot no oddity.

Aang pulled on his collar and peeked down his shirt, “There’s definitely more room in here without Momo in it, but I could carry all my necessities if needed.”

“And this is why I hate women’s fashion,” Toph pulled on her shorts, “we barely even have pockets!! I ain’t carrying no purse!!”

Katara nodded in agreement, then remembered that Toph couldn’t actually see her, “I agree about the women’s clothes, but even if they did have enough space, I’d still have to carry around a satchel for my water. You and Aang have an abundance of your element at your disposal, but there’s a reason the largest water tribes are in the north and south poles. Speaking of tribes, there’s another club my brother’s in, the Society of Tribes! Give me a second to sign up too.”

After Katara enlisted herself, a few of the members asked where she was from, then inquired about her friend.

“You’re signing up too?” Katara and a northern waterbender asked him.

“Can I?” Aang froze.

The water tribe boy blinked at him then shrugged, “I don’t see why not… no other nationalities ever asked.”

Katara smiled at Aang and Toph made gagging gestures behind them.

The sun was setting and it was dinner time by the time they walked all the booths. They discussed the few clubs they were seriously considering as they walked towards dinner.

“That’s amazing that you can sing, Toph!” Aang complimented her for the millionth time.

She had looked into a few of the musical clubs to honor her parents’ wishes, but wasn’t committed to joining any. She had learned music was on her schedule anyway and considered it to be enough; she’d rather spend her free time away from home on something she’d enjoy. The only problem was that she hadn’t found a club that piqued her interest.

Katara, on the other hand, was drowning in so many options. She had a variety of interests and so little time. It was then that she understood her brother’s anxiety about the school year.

“If you really don’t have anything you’re interested in, you should really consider joining the Avatar club or Freedom Fighters or some of the others… with Aang... and me…” Katara froze in her tracks as she recalled an earlier comment and turned to Aang. “Hold up, did you say Dance Team? I don’t know a thing about dance!”

Aang looked up at her with the most pleading eyes he could muster. She may have not been there when they encountered the club, but he was certain she’d love it. He clasped his hands together to finish off his look.

“Pleeeaase??? You’ll learn a variety of dances, but they strongly encourage you to join in a pair.”

At that rare moment that Aang was completely connected to the earth, Toph could feel his heartbeat and she sighed. She needed to have a conversation with Twinkle Toes about making it too obvious, but out of the goodness of her heart, she’d help the kid out.

“You can’t say you don’t know anything about dance,” Toph dropped her center of gravity by lowering her hips, widening her stance, drawing her left fist to her hip and extending her right arm out. “You’re a bender, your movements can easily translate into song and dance.”

Katara watched as Toph earthbent around them, “Then why don’t you join with him?”

“Ha! Twinkle Toes and I don’t mesh well.”

To prove her point, she stomped on the ground and raised both fists close to her, sending Aang flying.

“Besides,” she carried on as he caught up to them, “weren’t you complaining earlier that you hadn’t enlisted in more physical activities?”

Within seconds Aang returned and was about to retaliate against Toph when Katara conceded.

“Really?! Yahoo!” He spun a gust of air below him and hopped on top of it to spin around the girls.

Katara giggled at his joy and Toph smiled, pleased for both of them.

Without realizing, the three arrived at what soon was becoming their table at the dining hall. They selected their dinner choices and began to strategize their first day of classes. The three admitted they weren’t particularly morning people, but only Aang promised to return to their spot for breakfast. Katara said she’d try to join him, but Toph knew she’d end up skipping breakfast in favor of more sleep.

Remembering that they shared their first class in the morning, Toph barderred being nicer to him for a week in exchange for some snacks. The two shook on it and a pact was made.

Sokka and Suki were going to join them for dinner, but at the last second, Suki steered Sokka away. She likes hanging out with her new, younger friends, however in that moment, she’d rather have Sokka all to herself.

They sat a distance away from the trio, but Sokka maintained a visual on Katara. He promised their father that he’d keep an eye on her for the first few days and figured he could make sure Jet didn’t get too close to his sister. He hadn’t had time to warn her about him earlier that day.

“I don’t think you need to worry about your sister. From what I’ve seen, she’s pretty capable of taking care of herself,” Suki took a bite of her apple. “Does headstrong and passion run in the family?”

Sokka turned to smile warmly at his sister and laughed, “It does, actually. Man, our arguments can last for days if we let them. Katara’s the most stubborn though, just saying.”

“I mean, with a brother like you…,” she teased.

Sokka bumped shoulders with her as if to shove her off her seat, but settled down fairly quickly. He knew she could kick his ass, but didn’t want the whole school to watch it go down. Before their roughhousing could escalate, their friends Haru and Teo arrived and joined them for dinner.

The two friend groups laughed and enjoyed their time together before the stress of school came crashing down on them. Nothing in life was harder than balancing a social life, classes, and finding love, at least to normal teenagers.

“Hey, isn’t that Princess Yue talking to your sister and Jet?” Teo looked back and forth until he got confirmation.

Noodles hung from his mouth as Sokka attempted to look around some people blocking his view. He finished slurping them and stood up to go pull the girls away from him. There was no way he was going to allow Jet to make a move on them.

Suki latched on to his shirt and shook her head, “Would you relax? Nothing is going to happen. See? I think Yue is actually saving her for you.”

The group watched as Katara stood and waved to Jet and her friends. She returned her school tray and followed Yue out of the cafeteria.

“I wonder what happened,” Haru followed them with his eyes then watched Sokka get up and leave too.

Suki huffed, but didn’t stop him.

Once outside, Sokka called out to them and the girls turned and waited for him.

“Is something wrong? What did Jet say?”

Katara knew that look and rolled her eyes.

Before she could say anything, Yue spoke first.

“Nothing’s wrong per se,” she glanced away then returned her gaze back at Sokka. “I just need Katara to meet my parents via video chat. They’re overly protective and would like to meet her right away.”

“Okay, that’s cool,” Sokka nervously smiled and awkwardly stood there. He didn’t know how to approach the Jet conversation, so he decided to bite the bullet. “Look, before you go, I just want you two to know to avoid Jet. I know I sound like an overbearing brother, but something just doesn’t sit right.”

Yue nodded, “I’ve heard rumors, but I try not to pay them too much attention. I hate saying this, but our social circles don’t overlap, so luckily I’ve steered clear from that drama.”

Katara couldn’t believe that the nice, handsome boy she met earlier could be involved in any rumors, but she was curious to know about the drama. She doubted, however, that it could be as bad as Sokka was making it out to be. He was likely jealous that Jet could be just as popular with the ladies, or even more than him. Therefore, she wanted to hear it from a girl and she resolved that she’d ask around to hear other sides of the story. It seemed ridiculous that she should even have to investigate someone before becoming their friend.

In typical adolescent dramatics, Katara dismissed her brother and returned to her shared room with Yue.

Sokka let them go, knowing that when Katara set her mind, there was no way in stopping her. Defeated, he messaged Suki and the guys to let them know he was headed back to his room instead of meeting up with them. He had a roommate to finally meet.

. X . X . X .

Once Katara had left with her roommate, Aang and Toph didn’t last much longer together. She too had to call her parents and Aang wanted to check up on Momo and Appa before bed. He walked her to her dorm despite her insistence that she didn’t need the company, but her residence hall was on the way to the stables and Aang wanted to keep learning about her and her home.

He had traveled to some locations within the Earth Kingdom, but had never been to her region. Before he wished her goodnight, he offered to take her home on the weekends if she preferred, but she shot him down. The idea of riding a flying animal gave her more anxiety than a metal cylinder in the sky for some reason, yet Aang wouldn’t give up on her.

As he approached the stables, he noted that some of his peers were also visiting their bisons and playing with Momo. The flying lemur basked in the attention and treats he was given. Aang chuckled at the scene before him and drew Momo’s attention. Instantly, he leaped off of the girl feeding him and perched himself on Aang’s shoulder, patting and caressing Aang’s head.

“Hey buddy, making new friends I see,” he scratched Momo behind the ears. “Guess I didn’t have to worry about bringing you dinner.”

At the mention of dinner, Momo dove into his shirt and found more fruit for him.

“Hey, share some of that with Appa!”

“So he’s your lemur,” the older girl from the Avatar booth giggled. “I wish I could have brought my raccoon parrot, but Rascal would have gotten into too much trouble!”

Aang explained to the gathering group that Momo would ecesstially be his phone and would be splitting his time with him and Monk Gyatso. “I’ve trained him to send messages to my friends, watch this!”

He quickly wrote another note to Katara and gave it to Momo, stressing her name slowly for him to understand. Momo chirped back and took off with the note.

A few of the younger airbenders lamented not having thought of switching out their phones for their own companions while most of the others couldn’t fathom living without their phones.

Sangmu, the girl from before, took her phone out, “I know Rascal would have been miserable here, so I’m glad for my phone. I have so many pictures of him saved, so it’s almost like having him here with me.” She showed Aang and the small group pictures of Rascal and they all began talking about their pets.

Momo returned with a longer note than his and Aang beamed, proud of Momo and excited to read what Katara had written to his little note.

The group stayed together for a little longer, but ultimately had to return to their rooms for the night.

In his room, Aang finally met his roommate, Tillandsia, and they hit it off. He had learned that Till was originally from the Western Air Temple, but a few years ago was officially transferred to the northern one. After talking for some time, Till offered to shower first so that Aang could finally read his note.

_Aang!_

_I’m so nervous and confused and angry, but seeing Momo and your note helped, so thank you!_

_There’s so much going on, that I’ll tell you most of it tomorrow, but what I’m really stressing out about is about class tomorrow. So Yue’s from the Northern Water Tribe, and while we were talking with her parents, they asked me about what classes I was taking. I told them my schedule and they were surprised to hear that I had both Health Healing and Water Studies. Apparently, Water Studies is taught by Master Pakku and he refuses to teach girls._

_Chief Arnook suggested I drop out, but I refused! I don’t think I left too good of an impression on them, but I hope they don’t have me or Yue move out of our room because of my outburst. I like Yue. I could really see us becoming friends._

_GAAAH! I have so many emotions right now that I don’t know how I’ll be able to sleep, but this helps a lot, so thanks again!_

_I hope you have sweet dreams as well!_

_Katara_

Aang reread the note over and over again, feeling her anxiety and developing a few of his own as well.

If Master Pakku had issues with teaching a girl, what would he think of teaching someone who didn’t even have any water bending abilities?! Maybe it should be him who should drop out, but he didn’t want to leave Katara alone. If he could, he wanted to be there to support her. Aang was convinced that it was fate that they ended up in the same class.

He focused on the last portion of the note and signed contentedly.

“Wow, sounds and looks like you’re in love,” Till observed as he stepped out of the bathroom while cleaning his ears. “The shower’s all yours.”

“I-in love?” Aang set the note down and grabbed his towel. “I’m not in love.”

Till raised an eyebrow at him, but shrugged. “When you know, you know. Trust in what your body tells you, and you’ll be happier.”

He grabbed a book off his nightstand and wished Aang goodnight in case he fell asleep before he finished with his shower.

Aang showered as quick as he could, tried to ignore Till’s observation, and found his roommate fast asleep.

Jealous, Aang snuggled into his bed, way more comfier than the one he had back at the air temple, and tried to fall asleep to no avail. He was still worried about the first day of school, Master Pakku, and now Katara. Although Katara was the least of his worries, he quietly groaned as he realized all of the little hints he’d displayed all day. Embarrassed, he tried to smother himself with his pillow and eventually drifted into sleep.

Till had to shove him awake so they could make it to morning meditation.

The two changed into their uniforms, wincing at its stiffness, and ran out the door. When they arrived, they were disappointed to find that the upperclassmen were snickering at the younger students for wearing their uniform rather than their robes. Meditation was doable in their orange blazers and brown slacks, but Aang couldn’t focus, instead of emptying his mind, he felt every slightest movement in his body.

After morning meditation, they all had plenty of time to return to their rooms to change. Aang and Till took the time to visit their friends at the stable.

On their return to the school, Till couldn’t stop himself from asking, “So who’s the girl? Would I know her? Is she from the Western Temple, Eastern?”

Aang loosened his yellow tie, “Ah, no…”

Till cocked his head in curiosity then turned to follow his gaze.

At a table a little ways away, sat a girl waving at them. The white blazer complimented her darker skin tones and the blue skirt accentuated her developing curves.

“Wow, she’s pretty. With a smile like that, I understand how you fell,” Till slapped his back with encouragement and left to find his own friends. “Well, good luck!”

Aang could practically feel his anxiety melt away as he approached her.

“Oh, your friend could have joined,” Katara watched him walk away. “He’s very pretty.”

There was a slight pinch inside him, but Aang pushed the feeling away. “That’s Till, my roommate. He said he was going to find his friends.”

Katara smiled and urged Aang to get his food before she began to elaborate on her note from the night before.

When he returned, Jet was sitting next to Katara with two other people.

He introduced them as his best friends, but he called them by their childhood nicknames, Longshot and Smellerbee. The five of them began discussing their schedules and gave them advice for a few of the teachers they had the year before. Aang began to notice that Smellerbee talked mostly to him with Longshot nodding along, while Jet spoke with Katara.

Again, that odd sensation crept up from his belly and into his heart, but he couldn’t focus on it because Sokka and Suki arrived with a clatter of their trays.

“How’s it, Jet? Hope you had a wonderful summer holiday, Smellerbee, Longshot,” Sokka said through gritted teeth.

Suki only smiled at them, but it was very strained.

Aang opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but Katara stood and beckoned him to follow. Once away from them, she explained what Yue had told her about Jet.

There were various rumors about him throughout the school. Some ranged from theft to abuse, but the most damning one was that he had killed a girl.

“That’s ridiculous,” Aang hissed under his breath. They had entered the school and they didn’t want anyone eavesdropping into their conversation. “Why would he still be here at the school if that were the case?”

“Exactly,” Katara sighed, glad Aang saw her point of view. “I want to be friends with him, his club sounds great, but everyone has warned me about him. What do you think?”

They had reached Aang’s classroom and they stood off to the side so they weren’t in the way.

“I’m not sure, to be honest,” Aang shifted his bookbag. “They’re just rumors for now. Until you know the truth, I think he might deserve a chance to start anew, whether any of it is true or not.”

“May I hug you?” Katara felt relieved to hear Aang’s opinion.

“Of course! You never need to ask!”

They melted into each other and didn’t let go until Toph gagged loudly behind them.

“I’m so glad I’m blind, but my poor feet had to see that,” Toph wiggled her toes and smirked.

Katara rolled her eyes, knowing Toph couldn’t see it. “Good morning to you too. Nice shoes.”

The three chatted for a few more minutes as students slowly made their way into their classrooms, then Katara left for her own.

The two youngest students shared history class together, but It was their only one and they promised to meet each other for lunch as they finished their first class of the day. Second period also flew by in a blur, and soon it was third with Master Pakku.

Aang met Katara outside the classroom and took a deep breath before going in.

Immediately, the two stuck out like sore thumbs. Katara was the only girl in the class and Aang wore opposing colors. To make matters worse, the only seats left were at the front of the classroom.

A few seconds after the bell rang, Master Pakku strode into the classroom, completely ignoring Aang and Katara. He introduced himself and dove into the class syllabus right away. Pakku stressed every chance he could, that he would not go easy on anyone, regardless of ability.

“How you make up for lack of comprehension is up to you,” he made a point to finally look at his two outliers, “but I refuse to hold anyone’s hand in this class.”

Aang didn’t dare look over at Katara, he could feel her seething in her seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not sure if I should change the rating of this fic, since Jet might make it pretty dark, but I will check with the rating guide and give you a heads up at the beginning of the chapter if something takes a dark turn.


	7. Observations

**Chapter Seven: Observations**

Zuko was exhausted. He snuck into his bedroom past two in the morning and left it at five, just so he could avoid Sokka. After stealing a glance of Katara in their room, there was no way Sokka wouldn’t have learned that he was his roommate. It was physically impossible to have kept it a secret from him, but Zuko didn’t think he’d be found out so soon.

Still, he did not want to talk to Sokka about anything, especially the antelope elephant in the room that he had created.

Fate, on the other hand, had different plans.

Just as Zuko sat down at the back of the Variation In the Arts class, Sokka strode in with a small group of friends. In a moment of panic, he almost released his topknot in order to cover his face, so he could hide behind his hair. Instead, said moment of panic caused him to slam his elbow down onto the corner of the desk and simultaneously hurt himself and spill his pencil pouch all over the floor.

Various eyes turned his direction, the last thing he wanted, and startled gasps filled the room. As he ducked to retrieve his items, a strong, but small gust of wind collected them for him. Aang had walked in too.

Zuko grabbed his fist full of pens and pencils and straightened himself out. It was time to face the music. With his head held high, Zuko watched the two make a beeline towards him then freeze as they noticed each other.

Aang’s smile grew impossibly bigger, and Sokka’s serious expression morphed to match Aang’s. It was almost hilariously cute to Zuko.

“This term is gonna rock!” Sokka fist pumped into the air. “I’ve got my homie and roomie with me!”

Fortunately, Master Piandao walked in and began class. Unfortunately, he placed students into groups for self introductions and Sokka and Aang were with him.

. X . X . X .

Aang ended the school day with another class with Katara. The two began to make plans before dinner, but Momo flew into view in the hallway as students were filling out of the school. He held a note in his grasp and, at first, handed it to Katara then corrected himself and gave it to Aang.

“It’s from Monk Gyatso,” Aang noted and read aloud: “‘Aang, You may have your arrows, and will challenge yourself with learning about new elements, however you should continue to train and learn with me after school. Come visit me in the teacher’s quarters after classes so we may set up a schedule that works best with you.

“We may discuss the end of your training once you’ve beat me at Pai Sho.

“Love, Gyatso,” Aang smiled at the note, then turned to Katara apologetically. “Sorry Katara, it sounds like I won’t be able do homework with you right away.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Katara shrugged, shifting her weight to carry some of her textbooks more comfortably. “I can wait so we can work on it together after you’ve finished if you’d like.”

Aang smiled and thanked her, promising to send Momo once he was free.

Left alone, Katara returned to her room to change out of the uniform. She loved the contrast of the fabrics compared to the thermals and animal pelts she wore at home, but she didn’t want to wear the skirt for the rest of the day. The weather was warm enough for her to change into a pair of shorts and a tank top.

When she entered her room, she found Yue had the same train of thought. She had a yoga mat tucked under her arm and a water bottle in her hand, ready to head out. Excited to see her roommate, she happily set her stuff down to ask Katara about her first day and sent her friends a quick text, letting them know she’d be late in meeting them.

“I have to know,” Yue jumped onto her bed and clutched her pillow, “how’d it go with Master Pakku?”

Katara dropped her book bag next to her desk and practically growled when she recalled her third period class. “Let’s just say, I’ve made it my personal mission to prove him wrong and make him eat his words. He was so rude to me and Aang, that if he wasn’t there with me, I wouldn’t even be here right now. I’d have murdered that senile sexist.”

Yue chuckled, not believing that the young girl before her would be capable of such violence. “How was he being rude? And what do you mean Aang was with you? Is he a water bender? I could have sworn his orange and yellow robes were those of the Air Nomads.”

“Yeah,” Katara began changing her clothes, “he is an airbender, but he’s already a master in it, so they made him take different classes. Which really sucks for him because Master Pakku was such a prick to him. A lot of our exams are physical demonstrations and sparring practices, but he told Aang to figure out how he’d accomplish those exams on his own.

“That’s when I was ready to pounce on the old man,” she redid her hair, braiding it so it wouldn’t get in her face. As she ranted about the rest of the class, Katara decided she should go for a run to exhaust the rage building inside of her.

The two girls finished their conversation as they walked out of their room and made it to their dorm’s lobby where their hall mother, Amala, had finished baking some cookies. She offered the girls to take some, but when they refused, her crestfallen expression nearly broke their hearts.

With two cookies each, Yue and Katara stepped out into the late afternoon sun.

“Oh Spirits,” Katara turned to look behind them, watching Sister Amala through the window as she offered other students her treats. “How is it that I can’t refuse airbenders?”

She followed Yue to where she was set to meet her friends so that Katara could join them in warming up. After chatting with them for a bit and once they finished stretching, she took off on her jog.

There was still so much to explore in and outside the school grounds, but Katara wanted to find the field she had spotted when Aang had taken them up into the air on Appa. She knew there was a stream that flowed near it so she headed towards it, hoping it could lead her to it.

In the woods, she could hear rustling and as she got closer, could hear people’s voices. She had jogged past them when she heard her name called out.

Katara stopped and turned towards the sound of the voice and spotted Jet in a bush. He waved one hand, motioning for her to approach.

“Did you find it?” A smaller teen swung down from a tree next to Jet. Katara recognized him from Sokka’s floor; he had been playing video games that one time she followed Sokka in his dorm.

“I sure did, careful now,” Jet slowly stood as he cupped something in his hands. “He looks fine, but perhaps we should take him to Yugoda. I think she can fix up small creatures too.”

Jet motioned for her to get closer and introduced her to his friend from home, The Duke, then showed her the small bird in his hand. “The Duke saw it fall from its nest after school and we’ve been searching for it. Any chance you know how to check if it’s injured?”

She didn’t, but after a class with Master Yugoda earlier that day, she could affirm that her teacher did know a little about smaller animal anatomy.

He thanked her and asked the two to help him out of the bush. Both boys were still in their green and grey uniforms and had added foliage as their accessories on their clothes and hair. Jet invited her to return with them, but she passed up the offer. She wanted to finish her jog.

“See you around, Katara,” he winked at her, “don’t forget to come to our meetings!”

The two returned to the school, leaving Katara confused. He was nothing like how others had described him. Instead, she found him cute and admirable for helping The Duke find the fallen bird and how he interacted with the younger teen. Jet was older than her by two years and seemed way more mature than what the rumors suggested.

She sighed and carried on her expedition, no longer in the mood to jog. The shadows of the trees made her shiver, so she stepped back into the sun and found herself closer to the training grounds behind the school. In the distance, she could see a few airbenders bouncing from equipment to equipment and wondered if Aang was among them.

Not wanting to interrupt, she returned to the shadows and crept closer. Katara saw it was four against one, with Aang dodging and returning blows. From her distance, she could tell he was breathing hard, but there wasn’t an ounce of sweat on him. She could feel her own begin dry off her skin and wondered if airbenders were even capable of sweating.

Engrossed in speculations and wonder from the training before her, she failed to notice someone approaching from behind.

He ruffled a few leaves to make some noise and attract her attention in order not to scare her, but she jumped anyway when she noticed him.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Katara started, but Monk Gyatso chuckled.

“That is fine my dear,” he smiled warmly at her and motioned for her to follow. “You are always welcome to watch or participate. I think the more interaction between different bending styles is best in strengthening one’s discipline.”

They heard laughter from the practice field and turned to see Aang laying on the ground with all four limbs in the air, juggling his sparring partners. He would shoot bursts of air up at them to keep them flying in the air as they did aerial acrobatics. Sometimes the teens in the air would push off using their own airbending and soar even higher, showing no fear of gravity.

Gyatso laughed, “I turn my back for one second… Where do these children get this from?”

He walked towards them leisurely and sent a massive force of air that swept Aang up too, all five airborne and giggling.

As they came floating down, Aang spotted Katara and called out to her, waving as if she wouldn’t be able to pick him out naturally.

“I doubt I can get them to concentrate after that entertainment,” Gyatso mentioned to Katara and winked. “Especially this silly one.”

Aang beamed, he reached them first and Katara noted that he had sweated a little. The other students looked a little worse for wear.

The five students, and Katara, bowed to Gyatso and were dismissed for the day. He extended the offer to Katara to train with them every Monday or to join them in meditation in the mornings if she was interested.

Katara shuddered at the thought of morning meditation, but said she’d consider it while knowing deep down that she would never make it. After school practice was a different story. She’d be curious to see, and even experience, different bending against another, but she was nowhere near Aang’s level in relation to her water bending.

“It’s okay,” Aang looked up at her, “I’d never hurt you.”

Katara smiled and believed him, but couldn’t help tease him, “You’re saying you’d go easy on me? Think before you speak.”

Aang had opened and closed his mouth, his mind rapidly weighing different outcomes to his responses and settling on one.

“Nope, not going easy on you, but not hurting your opponent is just as difficult, just so you know.”

“Good answer,” Gyatso and Katara agreed.

The two were the last to leave Gyatso as his Pai Shopartner joined them.

Katara and Aang bowed to Headmaster Iroh and excused themselves.

Homework was put off until after they showered and ate dinner. There wasn’t much to do, it was the first day after all, but the two had amassed a small group to join them in the library. Toph had finished her assignments before dinner, but was interested in checking out the library’s architecture despite not being interested in its books. Yue could typically be found in the library during the school year, so she offered to show them her favorite study spots. The other two students to join them were Aang’s roommate and his friend, both had trained with Aang after school.

While everyone else worked on their homework, Toph explored the large library. She could feel the tunnels closer to the ground and wondered if it’s entrance was nearby. As she followed one of its veins, she noticed a sleeping prince tucked away in a corner.

As quietly as she could, Toph sat across from him, but quickly noticed she could have made as much noise as she wanted, Zuko was steadfast asleep. It was peculiar to her that someone like Zuko, so rigid and fastidious, could let his guard down in such a manner.

She lightly felt around the table noticing that Zuko had an array of books opened and notes scattered around him as he slept with his head down. Rarely did Toph lament her eyesight, but she was curious to know as to what Zuko could have been studying. She doubted it was homework, no one pulled out so many books unless they were researching for a project and the school year had just started. It had to be a personal interest and the only way to find out was to wait or ask someone to read the titles for her.

Sensing that Zuko would not wake any time soon, she gathered three of the books and went to find her group. Toph turned a few corners and luckily spotted Yue among the stacks alone. She had only just met the Northern Water Tribe Princess, but Toph could sense she was kind and trusting.

“Yue, could you read me these titles?” She asked the girl once she noticed her.

“Of course,” Yue peeked at the spines Toph held up for her. “They’re called, _Friend and Foe, How To Be A Best Friend Forever,_ and _Friendship_.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem,” Yue turned back to her search, but Toph could feel the confusion radiate off her.

She didn’t owe the princess an explanation, but Toph knew she could be trusted and led her to where she found Zuko. The poor boy was still fast asleep.

The two were about to approach him, when Toph felt familiar footsteps. She pulled Yue back behind a bookshelf and pillar and motioned for her not to say anything. They listened to the girl mock Zuko for falling asleep in such a public place while she kicked his chair to wake him up.

“I’ve created a list for you to research and observe the possibilities of each candidate,” Azula circled her brother like a tiger shark closing in on its prey. “The gap in years is unfortunate, but I am also working on narrowing that down. I just hope this doesn’t take up all of our academic careers. The faster results for father, the better.”

Zuko listened with his eyes closed after reading his sister’s list, dangerously close to falling asleep again. He knew most of the students on the list from the year before, but was annoyed that Azula wanted him to get to know the first years as well. It made more sense for her to get to know them instead.

He mumbled something that couldn’t be heard where Toph and Yue hid, but his sister comprehended and agreed.

Before she left, Azula demanded he go sleep in his own room so as to not bring shame to their family, but Zuko sat there for a moment then reached for another book.

Toph guided Yue away and didn’t speak until they were far away from Zuko and his sister.

“That was his sister?” Yue turned back towards where they left Zuko as if she could catch a glimpse of Azula once more. “She was so rude to him, her older brother. From a brief glance, I could kind of see a family resemblance, but Zuko’s scar makes it difficult to tell.”

“Zuko has a scar?” Toph’s eyebrows rose in surprise. First Aang has tattoos and now Zuko has a scar.

Yue described it as best as she could as she traced her fingers over her own left eye and ear, unable to imagine the incredible pain.

“I don’t know what happened to him, but there are a lot of rumors circulating around the school. All are equally horrific, and I’d rather not continue to spread them, if you don’t mind,” she told Toph, feeling guilty about already exposing a few rumors about Jet to Katara.

“I understand,” Toph shrugged it off, “don’t worry about it. I can always ask him myself if I really care to know, but are there any other identifiable features about you guys I should know?”

Yue hummed to herself as she thought about it, then giggled when she realized she had an interesting feature herself. “Oh, I have white hair.”

“Sorry Princess, I don’t know colors,” Toph chuckled in good humor, proving she didn’t mind the mistake.

Embarrassed regardless, she apologized and began to describe Toph’s friends. “Katara and Sokka are very attractive, but nothing out of the ordinary from them, physically at least. Katara does have a betrothal necklace, which I’ve been meaning to ask her about it. Typically, at least in the Northern Water Tribe, the coming of age is sixteen for a girl and she may become engaged upon her birthday. Her parents may have arranged it from birth, but I am not too certain about Southern Tribe traditions.”

Toph gave a low, breathy whistle, “Wow, Katara’s engaged.”

_Poor Aang,_ she thought to herself.

Yue backpedaled, “No, I’m not certain she is, it could be a completely different meaning in the south!”

“Nah, it makes it more interesting if she is,” Toph waved her off. “How difficult would it be to break off an engagement?”

Yue did not quite trust Toph’s question, “I couldn’t even say for the south, but for my tribe, it is almost virtually impossible. If I weren’t at this school, by now, I’d likely be engaged myself.

“What about yourself?” She curiously observed the smaller girl, “You’re a female Beifong, do know if your parents have or will arrange anything for you? Or are you free to pick your own partner?”

Toph led her back to their table, leaving the books on a random empty table for the librarians to find.

“I don’t even want to think about it,” Toph had never considered the thought of marriage. Although she wouldn’t be surprised if her parents had considered marrying her off to the highest bidder. Just as she thought she’d gained a little freedom, she was harshly yanked back to reality.

For a brief moment, she wondered if she’d view marriage differently if she’d been allowed to befriend girls her age. She had never been around other little girls who’d dream of their wedding day and played dress up, but was glad about it now. While those little girls played house and with dolls, she learned and mastered earthbending. She’d become strong and would continue to fight for her independence.

“Welcome back,” Katara closed her textbook. “I was about to text you that we were done. Where have you been?”

“You know, here and there,” Toph shrugged. “Hey, can I ask you a question, Katara?”

“Of course,” she and the airbender boys were packing their books away.

“Are you engaged?”

Aang’s roommate gasped then sneezed, while Toph felt Aang’s heart skip a beat. She was just about to burst into laughter when Yue continued for Toph.

“Your necklace,” she elaborated, “I was describing ourselves to Toph so she could better visualize us, and I mentioned the betrothal necklace around your neck.”

Toph had stopped listening to the two girls and focused on Till and Aang. He had placed his hand onto Aang’s shoulder for comfort, but she didn’t see the concerned look he gave his roommate.

“This was my mother’s necklace,” Katara brought relief to the panicking boys.

That time, she couldn’t hold back a chuckle, but she covered it up with a cough, “I see. Let’s get out of here, it’s too dusty in here.”

The six of them made their way out, quietly chatting to each other until they were outside.

“As the chief's daughter, are you expected to marry someone your father selects, or are you free to choose?” Yue continued, genuinely curious about the South’s traditions.

Katara had not thought about it and remained quiet as she tried to remember if there was a time when it was explained to her. She knew her father had selected her mother, but he was an only child and she couldn’t base anything off of their family history; she knew very little about her grandmother as well.

The silence was killing Aang and Till, both boys completely ignoring the third in order to listen to what Katara would say.

“You know, I couldn’t say,” Katara admitted. “I hadn’t heard of any arranged marriages in my village. I’ll ask my dad, I guess.”

She took out her phone and sent him a quick text, then continued to question Yue about her own traditions in the North.

Toph imagined that if Aang and Till had any hair, they’d be pulling at it during the suspense. She took the opportunity while they were distracted to lift a little dirt from the ground and trip them both.

“Oh my Spirits! Are you okay?” Katara rushed to help, but the two pushed off with their bending and stood upright. “Toph, was that you?”

Laughing, Toph denied everything, but then confessed. “It was too easy! What’s got you so distracted, Twinkle Toes?”

A chime distracted them all and saved Aang from explaining how he was already head over heels for Katara.

“It’s from Dad,” Katara read, “‘Yes, I’ve arranged for you to marry your education. Any other offer is off the table. Love, Dad.”

Yue laughed and Aang, Till, and Toph let out their breath they were holding.

“Some things are best left a mystery until they happen then,” Yue looked up at the moon and stars that began to peek out and formed an idea. “Although…. we could always go to a fortune teller one weekend. One of the girls that goes here lives in a village with one.”

“Count me out,” Toph was bored now and wouldn’t be able to join them anyway. “Good night guys, see you tomorrow.”

Till and his friend also followed and went their own way before curfew began.

The three eagerly began making plans and by Friday morning, everything was cleared with administration. Meng was eager to return home, having forgotten a few items from home, and Aang was happy to take Appa out for a ride. They extended to offer to Toph once more, but she was set to fly out to her parents right after school.

“Have fun, but don’t let it all get to your heads,” she warned before boarding the small private plane.

Her stomach began to form knots as she buckled herself in and she almost ran off to ask Aang for a lift instead, but she fought back the urge. Meng’s village was north while hers was east. It would be ridiculous, and embarrassing, for her to ask them to abandon their plans to ease her nerves. Her sense of foreboding had to have come from it being only her second time on a plane and she dismissed it.

With nothing else to do, Toph planted her feet and focused all of her attention on her sense of touch. By the time she had landed, she developed a small headache, but also felt a little more comfortable about the metal surrounding her. She could feel part of the earth within it, a lessened grasp of it than sand, yet it was there.

Her mind was still on the refinements of her bending that she didn’t notice that the man holding the car door open for her was not her chauffeur. When she went to sit down, she felt her weight only slightly dip the seat beneath her, signaling someone bigger and heavier next to her. Toph opened her mouth to question what was going on, but she felt something small stab into their thigh and she became immobilized.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and reviewing!! It’s always exciting to see that others are enjoying the story! I’m thinking of writing little side stories that aren’t important for this story’s plot, so if you’re interested, keep an eye out for it.


	8. Guidance

**Chapter Eight: Guidance**

“I cannot BELIEVE you guys dragged me out of bed this morning JUST to go to a stupid fortune teller,” Sokka gripped for the the millionth time that morning. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you three be friends.No offense, Princess Yue,” he quickly corrected himself, then turned on Aang. “And _you,_ Aang, betrayal as well.”

Katara rolled her eyes, already accustomed to her brother’s antics, while Suki and Yue giggled together. Sokka was still half asleep, but he didn’t need to be awake to complain. The girls and Aang had concocted a massive operation to drag Sokka out of bed that they were quite proud of.

It started with Aang bribing Zuko to increase the temperature of their room and generate a fireball to light up their room as if it were sunlight streaming through the window. Then Suki called in a favor from the football team’s captain to call Sokka and yell at him for missing morning practice. As soon as he rushed out of his dorm, Katara had an ice path waiting for him and slid him all the way down to the stables where Aang waited to lift him onto Appa with a burst of air.

Yue was mostly there to soften the verbal onslaught from Sokka. He wouldn’t dare lash out too much if Princess Yue was with them.

Meng just watched from atop Appa, amazed that their plan had worked.

“Who’s bright idea was this, anyway?” He was definitely more awake as his questions became more specific. “No, I wanna know who approved of this outing? Why would they let a bunch of teenagers and a child off of school property?”

“My bright idea,” Yue found it funny to watch Sokka squirm.

“Headmaster Iroh approved it,” Katara responded smugly.

Sokka crossed his arms, not satisfied that no one had a response to his last question and was instead met with another question.

“Why wouldn’t they let us?” Aang turned around from Appa’s head. “If Iroh wants us to learn about other cultures, what better way than to explore them ourselves? As an Air Nomad, I’ve visited a few places throughout the world already. Maybe he figured this is another opportunity for us to learn and grow?”

“Plus, you’re helping me out!” Meng cast a dreamy look towards Aang. The boy was not only cute and kind, but impressively wise as well!

“You’re not fooling me,” Sokka hunkered down into his blanket and tried to go back to sleep.

It was a long five hour flight to go far north of the school and they took breaks often, making more like six. Since they pulled their stunt at five in the morning, the first two hours were easily spent sleeping except for Aang. He had missed morning meditation, but found that it came easier to him while up in the sky with his friends sleeping peacefully behind him. He thanked the Spirits for his good fortune.

After meditation, he quietly chatted with Momo and Appa, praising the two for making it past the first week of the school year. Many of their routines had changed, and while Appa and the other sky bison weren’t locked away in the stables, the gentle giant had missed his adventures with Aang and Momo in the open sky.

With a grunt of encouragement from Appa, Aang grabbed his glider from the saddle and leaped into nothingness.

Katara shot up from her sleepy haze with a gasp. She witnessed Aang disappear momentarily then reappear ahead of Aapa, laughing and saying something to the creature. She watched in awe as he flew higher and higher, performing unimaginable acrobatics, before free falling and swooping up again. Momo kept pace with him for a while, but was no match for Aang’s energy. He joined Katara in watching him instead.

Occasionally, he’d disappear behind a cloud or it’s shadow, then reamerge with a trill of laughter and a smile brighter than the sun.

A bubble of excitement tickled Katara’s throat. She ached for her own element, to feel the rush and power of water courses through her. Being so high up, she could only marvel at its twinkling beauty as its waves crashed into land.

“Katara!” Aang tried to loudly whisper. He was too far away to wake anyone and the wind carried his voice away anyway, but she instinctively turned towards him. “Do you want to fly?”

Her stomach dropped and she shook her head, no.

He landed back atop Appa’s head and climbed over to her. “Come on, it’s just like penguin sliding!”

“It’s nothing like penguin sliding!” Katara retorted. “If I fall off a penguin, there’s at least fluffy snow around me. If I fall from these heights,” she shuddered, “I don’t even want to think about it!”

“But you won’t,” Aang promised, “I wouldn’t let you go!”

She stared into his smokey eyes, mesmerized by the silvery specks, and believed his conviction. She extended her hand.

“Go where?”

Yue rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and noticed their surprised looks. She had obviously awoken at a wrong time, but plenty of social etiquette and practice lent her the ability to put them at ease. She yawned once more and stretched.

“Are we almost there?”

Aang reluctantly retracted his hand and settled himself once more on Appa’s head. “My guess is two more hours. Although… once everyone wakes up, we’ll stop for a break and double check on a map.”

Soon enough, the others slowly began to wake up and they stopped to stretch their legs.

While grounded, they ate their snacks as breakfast and had a mini geography lesson from Sokka as they peered at the map. The GPS was useless in the air and near the dense forest they had landed near, thus, allowing one of Sokka’s many talents to shine through. As they returned to the sky, the lesson morphed into one of cartography.

To pass the rest of the time, Suki & Yue played Pai Sho while they continued to listen to Sokka’s ramblings.

The three younger ones began discussing music. Having learned from the dance team that Aang had a fairly large knowledge of traditional dances throughout the four regions, the kid knew nothing of trending, modern music.

Sure, he’d occasionally hear what was popular through the radio, but none of it really stuck with him. He typically occupied his time with others and chatted with them. There were very few moments where he would be alone and feel the need to fill the silence.

“So you were never alone?” Meng tugged on her braids in anxiety. “I left home to study with Aunt Wu _because_ I needed the space, mentally and physically. That, and because fortune telling is pretty neat.”

“Of course I would be alone sometimes,” Aang chuckled at their befuddlement. “I’d use that time to really take in my surroundings and enjoy the present. We played music together too, you know.”

“But have you ever done karaoke?” Katara challenged him.

“Uh, what’s that?”

“Oh my Spirits. We need more weekend field trips to the cities,” Katara was resolute. “And I’m giving you my old MP3 once I find it in my room back home.”

Both girls could see him nod along, but there was that slight fear in his eyes of not knowing what exactly was going on. Katara teased him by not explaining and continued to throw terms at him like playlist, shuffle, and remix. Eventually, they did begin to explain and even suggested songs for him and would play it if they had it saved on their phones.

Soon, they began to notice a trend and Katara laughed aloud.

“You are such an old soul,” she began making an “Aang’s playlist” on her phone. “The dance team incident makes so much sense now.”

“What dance team?” Meng was a little perplexed. She thought she knew all of Aang’s after school activities. The only day she hadn’t followed him around was on the first day when no clubs took place.

“So the school has a dance team that meets after dinner on Thursdays,” Katara elaborated, already beginning to chuckle as she remembered. “And the group advises not to eat a very heavy meal, but we didn’t know yet. We weren’t supposed to try different dance styles that day anyway, but Aang was so excited after watching the hip hop routine that he tried it himself.”

Aang began to blush and tried to sink into Appa’s fur.

“You were pretty good, Aang!” She laughed and continued, “No one believed that you’ve never heard of hip hop beforehand, but as he finished the routine, he burped _soooo_ loud!!”

“Nice one, Aang!!” Sokka heard the story and complimented him. Katara had recently outgrown finding bodily noises as funny, so the fact that Aang had made her laugh at it instead of being grossed out was impressive.

“It happens to the best of us,” Suki sympathized with a chuckle as well.

“I’ll tell you some of Katara’s most embarrassing moments later,” Sokka winked at him and Katara threatened her brother.

“And I’ll tell you some of Sokka’s from last year,” Suki volunteered.

Time flew by as the rowdy group laughed and shared their experiences. Meng and Yue almost felt like outsiders looking in as the four easily bonded, but their giggles were contagious and they too joined in on the fun.

All giggles morphed into excited cheers when Meng pointed at her village on the horizon.

Aunt Wu stood in the town’s square, expecting them. She opened her arms for Meng’s hug and asked her about her first week before leading them to her home.

After tea and snacks and more school chatter, they were ready to begin.

“Courageous and eager,” Aunt Wu singled Suki out as she looked into her eyes. “Would you like to go first, my dear?”

Excited, but a little skeptical, Suki stood and followed Aunt Wu.

Behind closed doors, Sokka voiced his doubts once more. Nothing was set in stone and anyone who believed too much in the future was a fool in his eyes.

Studying Suki, Aunt Wu decided on tarot for her. Although not her preferred method, she understood that the girl needed guidance from the cards rather than a full reading.

“Relax and open your heart and mind,” Aunt Wu began, “too much skepticism will tarnish a reading.”

Suki sat up straight, took a big, calming breath, and released the tension between her shoulder blades. When she opened her eyes, Aunt Wu had shuffled and spread the deck of cards before her and asked her to select a few. With the selected spread before her, she began to flip the cards and voiced their meanings to Suki, guiding her through her questions and struggles.

Ten minutes later, Suki returned to her friends.

“Aunt Wu is ready for whomever is next,” Suki smiled, not revealing anything about what was told to her.

Not as brave, but eager for some insight, Yue stood and followed Suki’s instructions on finding Aunt Wu.

“Now do you believe that it’s dumb?” Sokka leaned over Yue’s spot to reach Suki.

“Nope,” she smirked and side eyed him.

The two began a light debate over fortune telling’s validity and neither would budge. Before meeting Wu, Suki would have wholeheartedly agreed with Sokka, but not so much anymore. She felt so at ease and more connected to herself afterwards that she chose to believe its guidance.

Excited, Katara glanced back and forth between the doors and Aang.

“I’m so excited, but nervous!” She admitted to him.

“What are you going to ask?” Aang swallowed nervously, affected by Katara.

She blushed, reluctant to say, but confessed what had been on her mind all week. Scooting closer to him so that her brother and Suki wouldn’t overhear her, she took a deep breath before beginning.

“My heart is saying trust Jet, but my mind is a mess,” she looked away as she said his name. “I really like him despite all I’ve heard about him. I want to trust him, but I don’t want to get hurt, you know?”

Aang listened, not sure what to say, not sure if he should say anything. She was confining in him her fears and aspirations, letting him see her vulnerability. In the week he’d known her, Katara was strong and very supportive. He almost couldn’t believe she was capable of being weak.

Aang loved school because of his friends, especially Katara.

There was so much to learn and even mathematics was kinda cool when he understood what was going on. Fortunately, he had Sokka and Katara to help him out with that. Both were excellent tutors and very patient with him. He never had any proper schooling, having learned everything he knew from the monks, certain subjects were never taught in depth.

His most difficult subject, however, was Water Studies, and not only because he couldn’t water bend. Master Pakku was merciless and Katara was relentless. It was a miracle any teaching was done with how often the two challenged each other. The second day of class consisted of them arguing about tradition and culture, which caused the class to be divided in two. Half of the class sided with their teacher, while the rest enjoyed Katara’s attitude and tenacity.

“She’s pretty hot when she gets fired up, doncha think?” Aang overhead one of their classmates whisper to his friend.

“Nah,” the other had replied, “she’s kinda cute, though, but I want to see her waterbend. With that much gusto, she must be one helluva waterbender.”

“Oh man, that’s true! Too bad she won’t be practicing in her skirt,” he wiggled his eyebrows at his friend suggestively. “I’d attack non—“

Aang faked a loud, powerful sneeze to push the two friends apart. He was never a violent sort, but he refused to hear anyone talk about Katara, or any other girl, like that around him!

The third day of Water Studies, Master Pakku led his students to the practice area behind the school. He figured he could shut Katara up if there wasn’t a lecture involved. He taught the students a few stances and had them mimic and hold them for some time. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to hold back his prejudices and complemented Katara for flawless posture, but credited it to her being a girl.

Many of the students held their breath as Pakku continued to compliment her underhandedly.

A mist began to rise from the river as class continued and by the end of it, there were small waves crashing against the typically calm bank.

Master Pakku must have realized he couldn’t keep bringing her down, so he targeted Aang for the rest of the week. Ten minutes into class, Katara caught on and was not having it. She drew Pakku’s attention back to herself by making foolish mistakes. Aang was so touched, he could have cried, but instead vowed to improve and possibly incorporate his airbending skills with water.

Katara returned her gaze to Aang, silently searching for answers in his eyes. “Am I being silly?”

He leaned in a little, drawn into her ocean eyes, but had missed most of what she had said, “Of course not.”

She smiled, drawing him in more than he thought possible.

“Thanks for listening, Aang. I know guys don’t care for romance,” Katara leaned back, feeling more relaxed and incredibly grateful for Aang. Without a doubt, he was her best friend.

When Yue returned, they glanced at each other and without speaking settled on Katara being next.

She disappeared around the hallway and through a set of thin sliding doors. If Aang strained his hearing, he could make out a few words between Katara and Aunt Wu, but Yue was explaining her reading, thus preventing Aang from understanding anything.

Meng returned with more snacks for the group. She had disappeared for some time and they could tell she had put her heart into the cute little designs on the food. Aang was too anxious to compliment her properly and asked for the restroom.

“It’s down the hall to your—“ she never finished, Aang was up and gone. She was about ready to follow to make sure he found it, but Suki asked about the recipe.

In the hallway, Aang could hear them well, but he still crept closer. With his ear to the door, he listened to the two engage in small talk. His shoulders drooped and he flicked his wrist in an invisible gesture for them to move their conversation along.

Behind him, he heard the wood floors creak and he darted forward into the bathroom to prevent being spotted. He hid for a few moments, not wanting to be caught, but annoyed that he was missing some of Katara’s future.

“Tell me child,” Aunt Wu traced the lines on Katara’s palms, “what makes a strong and powerful girl like you insecure? I see a wonderful life ahead of you. You are a very beautiful and caring young lady, and will attract multiple strong and influential men, but only one love will bring out the best in you.”

“Is he tall? Handsome?” Katara wanted to know more. Ideally she wanted a name, but knew that was impossible.

Aunt Wu chuckled, “I couldn’t exactly say. You and I may have varying opinions, but I don’t see you being superficial. I can see that you’ll love him despite his scars…”

When the coast was cleared, Aang hurried back to his spot to hear, “A very powerful bender that would do anything to protect you.”

He eagerly nodded with a grin on his face and motioned to himself with both hands. He would!! Aang promised himself to become even stronger so that nothing would ever harm her.

“Now, let me follow you back to the group,” Aang heard Aunt Wu steady herself as she got up, signaling his time to return before they caught him.

He made it back to his pillow just as the two appeared before the group.

Sokka stood up, ready to hear some nonsense, but Aunt Wu shot him down. "No need to follow me back, young man. I see all I need from here. It's written all over your face: you're a glutton for punishment and more stubborn than an ox boar. I suggest you expand your horizons and you might turn things around."

With only one left, she asked Meng to prepare rooms for them while she finished the last fortunetelling. “You all must be exhausted from your travels. Once the young airbender and I are done, you may all head upstairs to relax or explore the town. Follow me young one,” Wu tucked her hands back into her sleeve and led Aang back.

Shell shocked, Sokka sat right back down and grumbled as he polished off the snacks.

Aunt Wu led Aang to a different room from Katara’s and removed the tea kettle from the fire. “Let’s see, my most accurate reading is osteomancy. Pick a bone and throw it into the fire.”

Aang eyed the small pile of bones and selected a relatively small one. Before it even touched the flames, Aunt Wu gasped and raised her hands to her temples.

“One of your friends is in grave danger!”

Startled, Aang jumped up from his seat and was about to rush back to the room where Katara and the rest were, but Aunt Wu grabbed onto his sleeve. They heard popping and saw cracks form in the bone before finally splintering. She pointed at the shards.

“Fire and Earth. You must go where Fire and earth meet, but it’s not a volcano,” Aunt Wu couldn’t look away, but she let go of his arm. Finally looking up at him helpless, she admitted she wasn’t sure what that meant aside that he and his friends had to leave that instant. “Don’t worry about Meng. I didn’t see her with you. Leave her with me, I will arrange for her to return to school when it’s safe.”

Aang darted out and found his friends calmly waiting for him except for Suki.

“Aang—,” Katara could read the panic on his face, but was interrupted by Suki’s return.

She was also visibly shaken. “Toph’s been kidnapped! The school’s been trying to reach us for hours now! There’s been other attempts at the school, but Prince Zuko and Azula are safe. They think Yue was another target because your room was ransacked.”

“We need to head to a place where Fire meets Earth,” Aang motioned for everyone to follow him back towards Appa. “That was the fortune Aut Wu had for me. We have to save Toph.”

“Where’s that?!” Katara questioned, falling into step with Aang.

“Hold on,” Sokka pulled Suki and Yue back. “We can’t fly into the heat of it with Yue; it sounds like they’re after her too!”

“We can’t just leave her,” Suki countered back. “What do we suggest we do?”

“Stay with her here,” Sokka spoke to Suki only. “I know you can protect her.”

She was ready to argue, but Aang spoke for her.

“We need to stay together,” Aang lightly pushed them forward with a gust of wind. “Meng is the only one Aunt Wu didn’t see with us. That means Yue comes too.”

“No, she’s too noticeable,” Sokka would not budge. He wanted to save Toph, but did not see the point in risking Yue too.

“Sokka your war paint!” Katara snapped her fingers with an idea. “It’s always with your boomerang right? We’ll paint her hair. She’ll look no different than us then.” 

The siblings looked towards Yue for her opinion and she agreed.

They reached Appa with no idea where to go next.

With no phone reception again, Sokka pulled out a map and highlighted volcanos. “This is the Ring of Fire, hence it surrounds the Fire Nation, but it also crosses through land. It’s too large of an area to search for Toph.”

“It’s not volcanos or fault lines,” Aang began to pace back and forth. “What could it be?! Fire meets Earth. Fire meets Earth, Fire Earth, Earth and Fire…”

“That’s it!” Yue turned towards Aang. “The disputed land between the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom! Pohuai! The stronghold should be abandoned, but it would make a perfect base for some kidnappers!”

With a destination finally established, Aang hopped from the saddle to Appa’s head and they took off. They were only a half an hour flight from the abandoned military fort, but miles and miles away from Toph’s home town. It was insane that the kidnappers were able to take her so far away from home, yet she had been missing from the night before. No one wanted to speak of what that could possibly mean.

Once they arrived, the sky had become overcast, giving them some coverage to observe the old fort, but they didn’t see any movement. To get a closer look, Aang had to land in the forest by the stronghold.

“You guys stay here, I’ll scout the area and see if there’s a way we can get inside,” Aang jumped off Appa, but so did Katara.

“You’re not going alone.”

“But I’m the fastest and can fly to get away,” Aang argued.

“You’re also the youngest,” Sokka and Suki jumped down. “We are NOT letting you go in alone. Suki, stay with—“

“No,” both girls asserted. 

“I’ll stay with Appa, if something goes bad—Spirits forbid—then I can help him find you guys and I’ll be able to stay out of the way,” Yue helped strategize. “The four of you together are stronger. I’ll see if I can find a way to let the school know where we are; perhaps they can send help.”

The four set off and left Yue, hoping the disguise would work should anyone see her. Aang ran ahead to the outer walls, checking to see if the coast was clear. Nothing shot out at him or attacked him, therefore he jumped onto its ledge to see if he could find a way to open the doors enough to let his friends inside.

Luck on his side, he found a working button that operated the doors and pressed down long enough for it to open with enough room for the other three to enter. He repeated the process two more times with the other walls and flew back to the first wall to motion to his friends that it was clear. No other obstacles in their way, Katara, Sokka, and Suki ran inside and met Aang at the innermost wall.

It was too easy.

Sokka removed his boomerang from its holster and Suki took out her fans. The pagoda tower at the center of the base must have been where Toph was hidden if she was even there, but there were no signs of it being occupied.

The four cautiously make their way to the fortified doors only to jump back as a blue fireball landed before their feet. From it’s direction stood the Fire Nation teens, Prince Zuko, Princess Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. They ran towards them, then all hell broke loose. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and reviewing!! Pohuai Stronghold is the location where Blue Spirit takes place just in case I made anything confusing... This chapter was challenging for me because I used inspirations from one of the iconic Kataang episodes (in my opinion) and I inserted a flashback while Katara spoke and Aang zoned out for it. Hopefully I didn’t butcher it too bad...
> 
> I said last week that I’d make side stories that don’t make it into the story, but after reading through them, I think I will hold off on that for now and see if I can incorporate them later down the line.


	9. Waterbending

**Chapter Nine: Waterbending**

An explosion of rock and fire rained upon the teens. Aang managed to blow most of it away while the Fire Nation teens dodge the worst of it. A gaping hole from the roof of the pagoda began to spew rock and fire haphazardly while a few men jumped out from the rubble.

They wore dark grey and purple robes with expressionless ceramic masks. Simple slits for the eyes and nose appeared to have been created as if it were a second thought to its design, adding to its creepy appearance.

Those closest to the teens seemed a little stunned to see them, but began their assault regardless, not asking questions.

“Stand down!” Zuko ordered the fire bending men, but they didn’t listen and went to strike at the prince.

Azula was there to push her brother away while Mai appeared behind her and shot her darts at the men.

“They tried to kidnap us, Zuko!” Azula snapped. “They forfeited any mercy the moment they set their eyes on us.” She dodged a high speed rock then parried with a precise fire cut across the man’s mask.

Yells of agony erupted from the man as he ripped off the remaining shards of his mask and gripped his burnt face.

More and more faceless soldiers appeared from the roof, some to help their comrades, others to escape the onslaught from within. Metal shielding began to rain down along with rock and fire.

“Toph!” Katara witnessed the small girl fight back a few men, sending stone and metal from the tower below them.

She lost her footing for a brief moment and managed to steady herself right before flames appeared dangerously close to her face. Toph backed up to avoid it and inadvertently jumped off the roof.

“Toooph!!!!” Sokka yelled as Aang launched himself upwards with his glider.

He grabbed her midair, but faltered with the added weight around her wrists and ankles, chains swaying.

“Twinkle Toes,” she greeted before passing out.

With Toph going limp in his arm, Aang dropped out of the air too, unwilling to let her go.

“They’re not going to make it,” Ty Lee gasped and looked away from the horror. She had two classes with Toph and had adored the girl the moment they met. She reminded her of Azula, but with funnier sarcasm.

Ty Lee dodged another rock before moving in close to her assailant. She rapidly poked a few pressure points and watched him succumb to her techniques. There wasn’t a moment for her to admire her handiwork, a fireball nearly singed her hair. Annoyed, she rushed him as well and tapped a few extra points in revenge. 

As she turned to find her next opponent, she thought she witnessed the Airbender glow for a split second before he extended his palm and cushioned their fall.

Ty Lee and Katara rushed towards them to help. Katara took Toph into her arms and guided her hand encased in water up and down Toph’s body while Ty Lee diligently worked on the shackles. A long pin suddenly appeared beside her and Ty Lee mentally thanked Mai for the tool. She removed them quickly after that and left to rejoin the fight.

Aang blasted back attack after attack with his glider and fists, protecting Toph and Katara.

“How is she?” Aang huffed.

“She’s just passed out from exhaustion,” Katara rose from the ground with her and tried to carry her to the wall to avoid the line of fire. “She’s badly bruised and exhausted, but not too bad overall.”

He sighed in relief, but the small comfort vanished as more men ran towards them. They were vastly outnumbered and darkness was rapidly engulfing the stronghold. The only light came from the firebenders’ blasts, singling them out. Azula’s signature blue flame reverted to its orange glow as more and more men attacked her, still after the princess.

She growled in frustration. Her plan to sneak up on the mysterious kidnapping cult was dashed despite stopping her classmates from barging into the tower. Although, without the extra numbers, Azula was not sure the four of them would have lasted that long. She vowed to enact her revenge.

Whomever thought they could attempt to kidnap her or her brother without repercussions was insane, but she had no leads as to who could be behind it. There wasn’t even time to threaten anyone because there were too many!

She spun low to the ground with fire, burning the earthbenders charging at her, but it didn’t do much to slow down the firebenders. Her skin tingled to try the new move she recently learned. Before she left for the school, she watched father do it to an incompetent insubordinate, and she itched to try it.

In the darkening sky, she spotted the airbender’s flying bison and her name was called out by Ty Lee soon after. She motioned for the Fire Nation Princess to escape with their peers while the airbender and waterbender—Aang and Katara, she recalled their names—blocked every attack.

Never one to run away, she continued to fight, but slowly made her way. Azula was going to take down as many men as she could. Zuko and Mai urged her to hurry up as the bison attempted to dodge attacks.

A large boulder caused the giant beast to fly higher and away from her. She took a running start at a few traitors, parting their flames as they blasted fire from their fists, and used their heads as a springboard and launched herself into the sky. A bit of a fire boost helped her get closer to the beast, but it swooped down to catch her. Ty Lee and Mai latched onto her with iron grasps to pull her into the saddle.

Azula turned to glare down at the insects that call themselves men and witnessed a monsterous comet of fire and earth headed straight towards them. It was too big for them to fly around it in time!

Aang leaped off Appa’s head, pushing Appa down and away with a strong gust of air, and used the momentum to launch himself above the blazing rock. The velocity sent them spiraling down and away from the missle. Appa swooped down low to the ground and whipped some of the enemy away with a gust from his tail. As he climbed back upwards, dodging smaller flaming rocks, they peaked over the stronghold’s walls to see Aang falling from the sky unconscious, clothes still burning, and into the bay.

Crying out, Katara extended her arms out and splayed her fingers to draw as much water as she could to catch him. As soon as she felt his body crash into the watery net, she lost control of the churning waters, losing her grasp of him.

Without having to be told, Appa rushed towards where they last saw Aang, but couldn’t spot him in the dark water.

Their only warning was a flash of light before Aang shot out of the water, eyes and tattoos glowing. He rose higher and higher, a swirling water spout from the sea propping him up as he circled his arms up and around him to summon a massive tsunami like wave and slam it against the Pohuai Stronghold.

From the air, the teens could see and hear parts of the stone walls splinter and crumble under the tremendous force of the wave.

“The Avatar,” the teens gasped at the realization of what they just witnessed.

Once the water receded, Aang dropped again.

. X . X . X .

The dance team was fun and Freedom Fighters was very motivational, but Katara was really looking forward to the Avatar Club.

When she and Sokka were children, their mother had told them stories of previous Avatars for bedtime stories. There were tragedies, romances, action and adventure, and everything under the sun. Katara loved her stories about them, that she often played the Avatar as a little girl and Sokka was her villain.

Then one day, playtime became too intense and the two siblings began to argue and fight. In a fit of passion, three year old Katara trapped her brother in ice. She was a water bender, the first in the tribe for a few generations!

Excited, she ran home to tell their parents, leaving behind her trapped brother. The news traveled fast among their small village once Sokka was discovered alone in ice and crying. Just as Katara finished explaining her story to her parents, a small gathering appeared at their doors.

The disappearance of Avatar Roku was known to the adults, and the next Avatar in line should be an airbender, but the possibility of an infant Avatar passing away was always a concern throughout the world. The ratio of benders to non-benders was constantly dwindling throughout the decades that many of the elderly worried about the balance of the world. Unanswerable questions arose in everyones’ minds.

Could the cycle begin to disappear along with the benders? Is Avatar Roku aware of the unbalance? Where _is_ Avatar Roku? Were the rumors of his death true? Having never found his body or heard back from the Avatar, the Fire Nation had officially announced his passing a decade ago.

Regardless whether the cycle could skip or not, the village did not know what to do with Katara. The last waterbender had run away with her Fire Nation boyfriend almost sixty years ago. They had no masters or sages to teach the young girl or test her talents.

Word was sent to the North, but with only one waterbender in the village, the only way she could learn was to leave for the Northern Water Tribe or learn from a few traditional scrolls graciously sent to them. Thus, Katara mostly taught herself and, although she never found the ability to bend other elements, she continued to ask for more Avatar stories until her mother’s passing.

It had been six years since she last heard stories about the Avatars.

“Thanks for coming with me, guys!” Katara was excited to have her brother and friends accompany her to the Avatar Club. Sokka couldn’t promise to attend every meeting since he had a few of his own, but he was curious to see if the group had similar stories to their mother’s.

Upon arrival, Sokka and Aang noticed the room was mostly filled with girls; they were the only males in the room except for Aang’s favorite master.

“Gyatso!” Aang approached excitedly, “why are you here?”

“I am this year’s Avatar Club advisor,” he set his cup of tea down and grinned at Toph and her friends. “I was close friends with Avatar Roku back in the day, so I’ve got plenty of stories for the group!”

Katara clasped her hands to hold herself back physically, but there was nothing stopping her mouth from shooting off questions.

Before Gyatso could say anything, the airbender girl from the booth called for the meeting to begin.

She introduced herself and three other girls as the executive board then explained their goals for the year.

“This sounds like a history-research-fan-girl-club,” Aang whispered to Sokka in the back.

He tried suppressing a yawn and failed, “Definitely up Katara’s alley, boooooring!”

The two snickered together and Sokka received a kick to his chair by his sister.

By the time the club ended, Toph and Sokka were napping and Aang was doodling, but had actively listened. He was interested in the field trips the group had planned throughout the year and he wouldn’t mind attending more meetings with Katara to listen to more stories, but he had to agree with Sokka’s earlier statement. Although, he was glad that whenever he stole a glance at Katara, he could see how engrossed she was. Even Zuko’s sister was enthused and dedicated. She was taking notes.

When the club ended, he and Katara tried waking her brother and Toph, but they wouldn’t budge. After sitting relatively still for an hour, Aang was eager for some mischief. He motioned for Katara to use her waterbending and she giggled, liking any idea that involved pranking her brother.

She hovered two bubbles of water over their heads and as soon as she let go, Aang scooped her up and ran. He didn’t stop until they were out of the school and at the stables, Katara laughing the whole way.

“It’s best we steer clear of Toph’s path for a while,” Aang set Katara down. “Want to go for a ride on Appa?”

“Good idea,” Katara straightened herself after the rush. She was sure some of the students may have seen her underwear as Aang sped across campus with her still in her uniform, but she didn’t care. That was thrilling!

“We’re not safe down here!”

Once in the air, she asked him what he thought.

“I kind of miss the Southern Air Temple,” Aang took them higher and higher, circling the school before heading towards the bay. “My lessons were a lot less formal and I had more time to play with my friends or invest my time doing what I wanted to do, but I love it here too. When we splashed water on them, it really felt like home.”

Katara chuckled, “I meant about the club specifically, but I’m glad to know! It has been a little rough being away from dad and the tribe, but I agree, it is beginning to feel like home. The story that Gyatso told about Roku at the Air Temple reminded me of my mother and for a second, I felt like she was still with us. She would have loved learning about Roku’s and Gyatso’s silly adventures!

“Are you coming with me next week?”

Aang blushed at his mistake, “Of course, I learned a lot about Gyatso, but I never knew he was close friends with Avatar Roku. I wonder if he’s anxious to meet the new Avatar.”

“What about you?” Katara watched him from the saddle while she scratched Momo’s head. “Aren’t you anxious to meet the new Avatar? What if you already know him? What if it’s you?” 

Aang looked away from her intense stare to lower Appa onto the water. He had no destination in mind, so he figured they could float back to shore eventually.

“That would be wild if I already knew him,” Aang jumped next to Katara, “but I’m not anxious. I wouldn’t want others to behave any differently around me if I were the Avatar, so I wouldn’t act any different if I did know them.”

“Gotcha,” Katara winked at him, “act normal around you if you are the Avatar.”

He shivered despite the warm late summer sun.

“But I’m not,” Aang tried to laugh it off as he laid down to watch the clouds drift by, “I couldn’t imagine the pressure of being the next Avatar! All the responsibility and attention he’ll get will be insane! No thanks, I’m looking forward to being a simple monk. If I’m lucky, I’ll be as cool and fun as Monk Gyatso!”

Katara giggled, “I can see that.”

“Really? Then I best be practicing!!” Aang floated onto his feet and ripped off his yellow tie then undid his white button up, stripped down to his boxers, and jumped into the water to swim next to Appa. “Come on Katara! Join me!”

She blushed at his brazenness for stripping right in front of her, but she wouldn’t be outdone by an airbender. Setting her phone down and removing her own ice blue tie, shoes, and socks, Katara jumped right in with her uniform still on, her dive perfect.

When she emerged, Aang excitedly swam up to her.

“Look Katara! I _can_ waterbend!” He proceeded to splash her until she pushed him away with a strong stream of water.

“Even if you were the Avatar,” Katara smirked, raising her arms slowly above her head to generate a massive wave, “you’d never beat me at waterbending!”

She released the wave onto Aang, submerging him, and laughed once more.

. X . X . X .

After witnessing Aang’s Avatar State, she doubted that.

Aang’s tsunami had destroyed a great deal of the old fort, but he had frozen the ground as the water receded, trapping a few from the kidnapping cult and preventing their escape. However, they were the least of Katara’s concerns.

“Have they awakened?”

Katara turned towards the infermery’s door to see Monk Gyatso.

“No,” she turned back to her friends, hoping to spot a difference.

Gyatso approached Aang and took a seat across from Katara. They sat in silence for a while, watching their chests rise and fall steadily. They appeared to be peacefully sleeping, and they deserved it. As soon as Headmaster Iroh and Gyatso found them in the forest, Aang and Toph had succumbed to fevers.

“You should go back to your room, my child,” Gyatso suggested gently. “You haven’t left their side since you’ve arrived. I’ll send Momo if either of them awaken.”

Katara nodded and slowly got up, wincing at her stiff muscles. She had lost track of time, the solid gray clouds providing the illusion that time had stopped. As she walked down the hall towards the exit, she noticed that rain drops raced down the windows.

For a brief moment, she watched a few students scurry to their destinations under umbrellas, then stepped out herself. The downpour drenched her immediately, making her feel heavier and heavier until an onslaught of emotion crushed her.

Her knees buckled and she landed in a puddle, tears mixing with rain.

She had been so scared.

It all happened too quickly. Katara and her friends hadn’t hesitated rushing into danger to help their other friend, yet they shouldn’t have been so reckless. They were just kids! She shuddered to think what would have happened if the Fire Nation teens hadn’t been there to help them.

Katara’s pounding heart ringing in her ears prevented her from hearing boots splashing as they rapidly approached her. It wasn’t until she felt the rain disappear around her that she noticed someone next to her, blocking the rain with his umbrella.

“Hey, let’s get you inside,” his deep, raspy voice shook a little. “I think you’re going into shock.”

Zuko hesitantly reached a hand out for her to take, then pulled her up. He kept the umbrella close to her and when she released his hand, he created a flame to warm her.

“Which is your dorm?”

“Autumn,” Katara’s teeth chattered, realizing she was cold.

He led her to her hall where Sister Amala rushed forward to assist them and fret over her student.

Zuko left Katara in good hands and made his way back to his room. 

He just wanted to sleep away that miserable day. When he had spotted Katara, Zuko was returning from a verbal lashing from Uncle Iroh. The man rarely became angry, but when he did, Zuko felt like a child again.

He and Azula had been lured into his office earlier that morning with breakfast. A table had been set up and filled with some of their favorite foods, a miniature set up of a royal banquet from home. There were even kitchen staff attending to them and clearing out dishes as they finished. 

It remained mostly quiet throughout their meal, but Zuko had been around his uncle long enough to know he was deep in thought. Iroh typically ate with enthusiasm, yet every bite he took appeared to leave a bitter taste in his mouth. When they did begin to speak to one another, it was about business.

“What an interesting first week, wouldn’t you say?” Iroh first broke the silence with a tired chuckle. “I wanted to treat you two with this meal for successfully completing your first week back at school, but now I suppose it’s for a successful return. I must say, I was extremely proud of the way you two handled the situation here at the school. Not many students are aware of what had occurred yesterday morning despite the damage done to your rooms.”

He continued to praise their ingenuity and perseverance, highlighting each of their strengths. Azula had always been so precise from detail planning to its execution, and without Zuko’s loyalty and support, Azula would not have a purpose. Alone, they were lethal in their respective ways; together, they could be unstoppable.

All the praise and attention was meant to lower their guards, and it worked on Zuko at least, but as soon as they finished eating, Iroh began berating them for their foolish actions.

He wasn’t angry that they left school grounds without letting anyone know, stole two of the ostrich horses, or hijacked an private airplane.

Their uncle was furious that they could have been hurt.

“You knew NOTHING of these men and what kind of power they held! You are the Prince and Princess of the Fire Nation. Imagine what kind of position you could have put your father AND country in because of your imprudent actions!”

Any semblance of the cheery, proud man was gone. Neither teen could look him in the eye, but the guilt ate at Zuko while Azula glowered. She had never been—to Zuko’s knowledge—scolded by anyone besides their mother and even then she never tolerated it. Azula fought back with threats and nasty insults, but Iroh would not have any of it.

If Azula wanted to remain at the school she would obey and respect her uncle’s decisions. The first being their punishment for leaving without informing anyone of their whereabouts or the situation. It had taken two hours after the attack before faculty noticed a few scorch marks throughout campus and three ransacked rooms.

While most students were still asleep, the school had gone into lockdown as the situation was assessed. The first task Iroh assigned Zuko and Azula was one-on-one counseling with Monk Gyatso and Sister Amala. After they have gauged the teen’s sincerity, then Iroh would select their consequence.

Still, Azula would not back down without some sort of fight and Zuko sat through another lecture. Azula stormed off eventually, leaving him alone with his uncle.

There was a lot for him to take in from the last twenty-four hours and he just needed time to process it. Neither of them spoke, but Iroh did make them both tea as they sat in silence facing the dreary day.

Now in his room, he stared at the ceiling. The mission from his father was made easier now that he knew the Avatar’s identity. He had class with Aang and even had Sokka as a roommate to help him build that bridge. Making friends with the Avatar and swaying him towards their cause should be easier. How difficult could influencing a twelve year old be?

. X . X . X .

Aang had a searing headache when he began to regain consciousness. As soon as he began to stir, he felt his bed dip and soft fur climb close to his face.

“Hey, Momo,” his voice rasped, “how’ve you been?”

Momo licked his cheek in response and someone chuckled next to them.

Gyatso was there to pour Aang a cup of water and helped him sit up.

“He’s been very worried,” he noticed Aang’s wince and handed him a few peppermint leaves for him to chew on. “You’ve had a lot of us worried, in fact. Katara was here a few hours ago, sitting by your side, constantly checking between you and Toph.”

Upon Aang’s concerned look and his glance towards the other occupied bed, Gyatso caught him up and wrote a message to Katara.

Aang wouldn’t look anywhere except his hands as he tightened his grip on his sheets, frustrated with everything that’s happened.

“Now, before Momo arrives with Katara, I need to apologize to you, Aang. You shouldn’t have found out you are the Avatar like this. We would have told you on your sixteenth birthday. However, there was a risk you’d learn beforehand with the Water Studies class I’ve enrolled you in, but I figured you’d be put in the non-bending portion of the class instead.”

Gyatso twirled his mustache in thought, “That being said, it is for the best that you begin your training. As you clearly witnessed, darkness tends to encroach upon the weak and you may have to step up earlier than expected.

“But do not worry, along with your friends, I will be there with you every step of the way.”

Angry tears began to slowly roll down his face. He wanted nothing more than to protect his friends, but being the Avatar would inevitably also put them in danger. But what he hated the most, was that he lied to Katara.

He _had_ suspected he was the Avatar when he felt the push and pull of waterbending during class. To test it out, he even tried manipulating one of his classmate’s forms and succeeded. From that moment on, Aang stopped trying and suppressed any sensation the water brought him. He convinced himself that it was all in his head. Master Pakku really was a great teacher that even an airbender could feel like a waterbender.

Katara burst through the door, eyes immediately finding his red, swollen eyes, and launched herself at him. She couldn’t even imagine all he was going though. What he would go through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience!! Unfortunately, I will not be able to continue updating once a week, but hopefully every other weekend. *fingers crossed* As always, thank you for reading and reviewing!! I hope to keep living up to your expectations despite losing my schedule.


	10. Confidence

**Chapter Ten: Confidence**

Sokka was beginning to worry.

Despite all he’s witnessed in the last twenty-four hours—adults attacking children, assassin-like Fire Nation girls, and a wrathful Avatar— nothing made him as anxious as knowing that his sister wasn’t eating. At least, he assumed she hadn’t eaten all day.

When he went to check up on Katara in Suki’s room earlier that morning, Suki told him Katara had left before she woke up. Fortunately, she left her a note, thanking Suki for letting her stay in her and Toph’s room and that she’d be in the infirmary to be with Toph and Aang.

He visited their unconscious friends and tried to comfort Katara, but like Toph and Aang, she was unresponsive. Knowing how she could be and understanding she likely needed her space, Sokka left her with them and got breakfast, offering to bring Katara some food, yet she declined it.

During lunch, she was nowhere to be seen, so he sent her a quick text.

Already ate, thanks tho, was her reply.

Sokka glowered.

Thunder rolled above the dining hall, mimicking his mood.

“Yeesh, what’s up with that frown?” Teo’s squeaky wheels skid to a stop beside Sokka.

“At least you made it in before the rain,” Haru let his tray drop onto the table, spilling some of its contents. He wrung his hair once more for dramatic effect before sitting down.

A smirk lit up Sokka’s face momentarily. “Gentlemen, I am never late for lunch. I did come earlier to grab some food for my sister, though she says she doesn’t need it.” The frown returned.

“How is she?” Haru leaned forward, his eyebrows bunched together with concern. “I heard her room was completely trashed! Oh, and yours was pretty messed up too, huh?”

Sokka bit into his sandwich and shrugged, “Fine I guess, but I wouldn’t know about her room. She’s been in the infirmary all day and we arrived really late last night. Only Zuko’s side of the room was ransacked.”

“Why is she in the infirmary? I thought you said she was fine,” Haru froze before taking a bite of his own food.

“She is!” Sokka raised an eyebrow at him. “Katara’s not the one hurt, she’s visiting Toph and Aang.”

The humor from Haru’s brief panic disappeared for Teo as his face morphed into one of concern as well.

“Neither are dead, right?”

“What—?! No!” Sokka sputtered, he pounded on his chest as he choked a little on his food. “Why would you think that?”

Embarrassed for asking, Teo pushed his food around with his fork, “One of the guys on the floor heard it from his mate’s girlfriend’s friend and she’s friends with Princess Yue, sooo…”

“There are rumors that someone died?” Sokka was incredulous. “How?”

“How what?” Teo was becoming confused. “How did they supposedly die? Or how did these rumors begin to spread? We are students living together in dorms, of course people are going to talk.”

Sokka rubbed his temple in frustration, “Okay, what have you heard? What do you know for sure?”

Teo and Haru began to explain the day before from the moment they woke up and up to that point in time. Small rumors began to swirl around campus around noon about the Fire Nation teens bringing alcohol or drugs onto campus, but it wasn’t until breakfast that morning that they became wilder. Most centered around Prince Zuko and Princess Azula going after Princess Yue and escaping the school after trashing their rooms, yet those died down once most students saw them back on campus.

Currently, the hottest rumor was that assassins were sent to kidnap the royal teens and that Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki had gotten caught in the crossfires.

“Some said Aang had died, others say he’s the Avatar,” Haru lowered his voice as he noticed other students around him listening to their conversation. “Other rumors say Toph died instead, but how she suddenly got involved is another set of crazy.”

“Some say the Beifongs were the ones that ordered the hit on the royal teens so that they could be the most powerful,” Teo explained. “Although, that one makes no sense at all, and there is nothing in the media! It’s like nothing even happened, and what’s even more suspicious is that Headmaster Iroh hasn’t even said a thing! No email, no assembly, nothing to stop all these rumors. Radio silence.”

Sokka had stopped eating in favor of holding his head while staring down at the table as he listened. Headmaster Iroh hadn’t said a thing to them about what would happen once they returned to school. He simply praised their quick wit and bravery and sent them on their way home with Monk Gyatso while he and the Fire Nation teens stayed back to catch a flight or something. Sokka hadn’t been able to ask Monk Gyatso anything either because he was the one who steered Appa while they followed Gyatso’s flying bison.

He briefly wondered if Katara had a better picture of everything, since she rode with Gyatso, before standing up on his chair and gathering everyone’s attention.

Many turned to listen, however, the thunder in the distance and pouring rain made it hard for most students to hear him and thus returned to their conversations. Those closer to him listened intently.

“Now, I don’t have all the answers, but I want to clear some of these rumors,” he looked around himself, just then realizing what he was doing. Sokka gulped, but continued just as strong as before. “Firstly, no one died, so please stop spreading that. Second, cut the crap about Zuko and Azula being behind all this. If it wasn’t for them and their friends, me and my own friends would have been worse for wear. Third, there were kidnapping attempts for all of our royal classmates and a successful capture of Toph Beifong, so no, I do not believe any of their families were behind what happened yesterday.”

Students’ attention was being lost since he didn’t have anything juicer to say, but that was fine by him. He wasn’t sure if it was even his place to say, but the rumor was out there, so he affirmed it. “And lastly, yes, it’s true. Aang is our new Avatar.”

Immediately the hall became louder as teens spoke excitedly amongst each other and nobody heard Sokka asking them to remain respectful of Aang’s privacy.

. X . X . X .

Toph could hear some sniffling and a warm, comforting voice as she awakened. Her body felt extremely heavy, and she would have panicked, if not for that voice.

She surprised herself at how quickly she could make out that Katara was soothing someone’s—probably Aang’s—worries away.

“It’s okay,” Katara repeated softly, “it wasn’t a lie. I’m not upset. I’m just glad that you’re okay.”

There was a muffled voice that confirmed Toph’s speculations, and she couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

“Can you guys be gross somewhere else?” Her own voice sounded rough to herself, but she was glad she could hear them startle. “I may be blind, but no one should be subjugated to that.”

A deep chuckle she was unfamiliar with caused her to shoot out of bed so that she could touch the ground and see an elderly man at the foot of Aang’s bed.

“Oh Spirits!” Toph winced at the pain that radiated across her body.

“I apologize for scaring you,” he gently raised his arm and sent a warm puff of air through her tangled hair. “But I am impressed with your reflexes despite your injury. Although you are completely healed, the braces on your arms are precautionary.”

The gentle breeze felt nice against her sticky skin, but she hadn’t realized there were splints on her arm until he had mentioned it.

“Oh great, a papa airbender,” she grumbled under her breath.

“Toph!”

She saw Katara move to gently hug her and felt Aang float over to her. The two, plus Momo, wrapped themselves around her like baby koala otters latching onto their mothers.

Katara squeezed her friends, “I was so afraid I lost you both.”

“What do you mean, Sugar Queen?” Toph began to squirm, “I’m tougher than rock, metal even!”

“What do you mean?”

Aang and Katara pulled away, eyeing her then glancing at each other. They sat on Aang’s bed next to hers while Toph eased herself into her own. Monk Gyatso returned to his chair in order to listen, concerned about what he was about to hear.

“It’s all really hazy, to be honest,” Toph tilted her head down to help her remember. After she had been subdued in the car, she remembered waking up with her hands and legs tied together and still in a vehicle, but unsure if it was the same that had picked her up from the airport. “I don’t know how long I must have been in there, I kept falling in and out of consciousness, but when they finally did take me out, I struggled out of their grasp and for a split second, touched the ground.

“It must have been where you found me because I don’t remember being transported after that,” Toph stopped and took a deep breath. “I was wrapped in chains, suspended in air. I could hear some of the men argue that it was unnecessary because I was a blind defenseless child, but one man assured them that his source assured him that I was an earth bender.”

Toph remembered hearing, “But sir, there haven’t been any earthbenders in the Beifong lineage for a few generations. I would know, my family has lived in Gaoling just as long and had previously served the family.”

She couldn’t recognize the voice, so she figured the past tense really meant they were no longer employed by the Beifongs. That fact alone was strange because once employed by the Beifongs, that relationship was typically very strong. She hadn’t heard of any family being let go or of anyone quitting their estate, unless it had occurred before her father’s birth.

“Are you saying you don’t trust me?” The other man’s voice began steady and calm, but as he accused the first man of mutiny, he became angrier and angrier.

“Of course not, Comman—“

Toph choked at the memory, “I smelled burned flesh and heard his screams. I stopped struggling around them.”

“There’s a good little girl,” the man’s calloused fingers stroked the tears away from her face. “We won’t hurt you. We just need your daddy to help fund our cause. And soon enough you’ll have friends to keep you company. A few princesses and a prince, that you may already know. See? Doesn’t that sound fun? We’re not so bad.”

Another tear rolled down Toph’s face and this time she was able to wipe it away herself.

“As soon as they left me alone, I gripped the chains and pulled myself up,” she flexed her fingers to feel her soreness.

She needed to touch something she could bend and she prayed to every spirit she knew that the ceiling wouldn’t be made of wood. Inch by inch, with her hands bound together, Toph made her way to the top. Her forehead touched cold stone and she could see everything.

Men were returning to her location and with a sudden burst of adrenaline, she pulled her legs up and kicked.

The stone beam crumbled at her touch and she fell. Although the wind was knocked out of her, Toph gave herself little time to recover before positioning herself up to stomp her feet into the ground.

Doors on different sides of the room burst open, but she had managed to split the shackles around her feet with a precise strike of stone. With a clear layout of her prison, Toph dropped down a floor. There were more men there, but she could tell they were firebenders and thus easier for her to subdue. She opened the floor around them and bolted out into the hallways just as the earthbenders above her recovered from their shock and jumped down to follow.

She could earthbend fine with her arms still bound, but she could be a lot stronger without them.

“At one point I was cornered, but no one knew what to do with me,” Toph steadied her breathing. “As I fought back, I heard some of them say that their leader, or someone in command, was nowhere to be seen. Without any orders being given, I think they were ready to kill me.”

Katara launched herself at Toph and sobbed for her. The girl in her arms was only twelve and had already faced death head on. She felt so small and cold in Katara’s arms that she didn’t want to let go. Toph didn’t push her away.

The girls didn’t separate until there was a knock at the door.

Sister Amala announced that Toph’s parents had arrived.

Monk Gyatso stood and motioned for Toph to return to her bed and encouraged Aang and Katara to head to the dining hall. It was past dinner time, but he was sure there was food still available.

Seeing Aang’s reluctance to leave the room, Amala invited Katara and Aang to her living quarters for a late dinner.

“But first, let’s go visit Appa.”

Aang felt Momo leap off of him and land on Amala’s shoulders, luring Aang out of his shell.

Also sensing his uneasiness, Katara reached for his hand and together they walked out of the infirmary.

Hand in hand, Aang slowly joined in the small talk between Katara and Amala. It was a month too early, but Amala brought up how she was looking forward to the school’s carnival mid semester. There were various competitions between grade levels, residence halls, and even a few between the staff.

“What do you think, Aang, if I form one team for air ball, do you think Monk Gyatso could form an opposing team, or is he too old?”

“I dunno,” Aang chuckled, “looks can be deceiving.”

“I think he’s got it in him, Monk Pasang on the other hand…”

The two giggled.

“What's an air ball?” Katara asked.

They began explaining the game to her, oblivious to the occasional whispers from the students wandering out in the darkening night. As they approached the stables, they heard laughter and voices from within.

Aang froze, unable to take another step forward.

Katara stopped with him and gave his hand a little squeeze.

“Do they know?” Aang looked between Katara and Amala.

The elder airbender nodded, “The whole school suspected it and Sokka confirmed it earlier today.”

“That boy!” Katara fumed. “It was not his place to—“

It was Aang’s turn to squeeze her hand, “It’s okay. I’m sure he meant well.”

He took a deep, calming breath and together they walked inside.

“Aang!!” A few of his peers called out, but his roommate, Till was the loudest.

Till jumped up and rushed to greet them, then suddenly stopped before embracing them. A wicked grin swept across his boyish face as he looked down at their hands. In a stage whisper, he asked, “Are you guys together?”

“What?!” Aang and Katara released their hold on each other as if shocked with an electrical current.

“No we—“

“Katara’s just—“

Appa grunted loudly for attention and all the tension washed away. Aang launched himself onto his best friend, rubbing his face in Appa’s soft fur.

Katara’s heart warmed at their reunion as she watched from the door. She grinned as the airbenders hanging around the stables also cooed and applauded the tender moment. Appa opened his eyes to puff some air in Katara’s direction and slowly blink at her.

Till elbowed her forward and Aang looked back at her with the bright smile she feared he had lost.

“Appa wants a hug from you too, Katara!”

She slowly approached them, mindful of all the eyes on her. Katara gently patted Appa above his nose before extending her arms and burying herself into his fur as well.

Finally able to completely relax, they stayed and chatted with the group until Aang’s stomach groaned loudly.

“Ready for some extremely late dinner, then?” Sister Amala asked.

The three latecomers excused themselves with “good-nights” and “sweet dreams.”

As soon as the doors closed behind them, whispers and giggles were quickly exchanged. They were excited to see Aang again, despite him not addressing the elephant koi in the room, and began to share their thoughts with one another. Yet his Avatarhood was mostly forgotten as they focused on the sweet puppy love displayed before them moments ago. Katara grasping Aang’s hand once more as they left was not lost on them.

The next morning, some of the same kids from the stables saw Katara make her way towards Aang’s dorm. As soon as she reached the Winter’s residence hall, Till led her back towards their room where Aang was waving a mini panic attack.

He paced back and forth while messing with the knot in his tie and mumbling to himself. Some of his anxious energy fizzled away as soon as he saw Katara, but Till’s playful teasing from the night before surfaced in his head and he became flustered once more.

Katara gripped his shoulders and stared him down until he locked his eyes onto hers as well. Smiling that he finally looked at her, she released her own breath she was holding.

“I thought you went to early morning meditation every morning?”

“I did.”

“Then, why are you so stressed?”

He broke eye contact to look down at feet, finally noticing he only had one shoe on his foot.

Slowly, he looked back at her and admitted, “I’m not ready to face everyone. I want to go back to just being me.”

Katara released her grip on him and crossed her arms, “When were you ever not yourself?”

“I mean me not being the Avatar,” he furrowed his eyebrows.

She reached for his mangled tie to try to fix it, “Why do you focus on simply being the best you you can be? You’re Aang first and the Avatar second… at least until you’re sixteen. Then you can worry about that once you get there.”

A small smile began to form on Aang’s lips, but doubt kept him down.

“I wish everyone would think like that,” he confessed. “The guys on our floor last night were very different from before. I was their underclassmen a week ago and they’d joke and mess around with me, but now they’re too formal and almost act scared.”

Katara shrugged as she handed him his missing shoe, “Then they haven’t really gotten to know you. Give them, and yourself, time. Yeah, some things will likely be a little different going forward, but not everything will change. I’m still here, am I not? Till’s still here, as is Sokka, Suki, and Toph. We’re here for you, Aang, because that’s what friends do.”

Momo chirped from his comfortable spot on Aang’s bed, not wanting to be forgotten.

“See? And Momo and Appa, too! Now let’s go get ourselves the most important meal of the day!”

Till tossed Aang his orange blazer and the three of them made their way to the dining hall.

As soon as they were outside, Aang could feel eyes on him and almost make out the whispers behind his back. He tried to ignore them and focus on his friends, but it was a little overwhelming.

“That was a really good pep-talk, Katara!” Till shifted his book bag on his shoulder. “Any chance I could convince you into being our team’s manager? Having a healer as a manager would definitely come in handy.”

Katara chuckled, “Thanks, but I’ve got enough on my plate. What team do you play for?”

Till snapped his fingers in mock disappointment, “They’re intramurals air ball teams, but we get pretty serious since we’ve got airbenders from all four temples. You’d think it’s us guys who are the most intense on the field, but it’s actually the girls who show no mercy. Our teams are mixed gender!”

“That sounds fun, I’d love to watch and learn,” Katara thought back to their own Waterbending sports and how most were individual feats or segregated games. “I wish there were more games that included both guys and girls in the water tribes.”

“Why don’t you try playing air ball some time?” An idea popped into Aang’s head, distracting him from the sudden silence that occurred once they stepped inside the cafeteria. “You can maneuver the ball with your water bending and be a goalie! That way you don’t have to move across the stilts like the offensive players.”

Till and Aang excitedly exchanged ideas to make the game more inclusive and ended up potentially making a completely new sport.

Normalcy slowly returned for Aang when he saw Sokka and Suki wave at them at their table. As he made his way towards them, many of his friends and classmates greeted him like any other day, and even groups of girls giggled as he passed by. Throughout breakfast, multiple groups stopped by to welcome the group back and chat for a few moments.

Even Meng and her friends appeared to support their friend.

She handed Sokka, Suki, Katara, and Aang individually wrapped treats to thank them for taking her home during the weekend.

“I even made some special veggie snacks for Appa and Momo,” a blush spread across her face as her friends snickered behind her. “I looked up specific recipes for them according to their diets. Could I go with you to the stables sometime to give them the treats?”

“Of course!” Aang excitedly proclaimed.

Till teasingly jabbed Katara with his elbow and quietly whispered, “Looks like you’ve got competition.”

“Huh?” Katara cocked her head at him quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“Ouch,” Till waved the comment away, “never mind.”

Katara happily watched Aang blossom back into the happy and energetic boy he’d been last week. She wasn’t oblivious to the darker comments she’d heard about Aang, but there wasn’t any reason to pay them any mind. There would always be jealous people who sought to bring others down, but she’d do her best to protect Aang from others’ dark emotions.

Once she separated herself from her friends to head to her first class of the day, she overheard a familiar voice.

“Hmph, of course they’re back to their oblivious, carefree ways,” Azula commented to her brother. “Peasants could never understand the responsibility of divine right, while we have to do all the hard work and get the blame for whatever goes wrong.”

“Azula—“

“No, Zuko. I’m not going to stand back while Uncle tries to hide this oncoming war. If I have to whip these idiots at this school into shape, then so be it. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty,” she stormed off, not giving her brother a change to say anything.

Katara peeked over the corner to see Zuko let out a deep breath before ruffling his hair and tying it back into his formal topknot.

Just before he turned to head in her direction, she ducked back and tried to get away, but his strides were longer and more awkward. He rounded the corner and ended up stepping on the back of her shoes, causing her to fall forward.

Embarrassed, Katara quickly straightened herself out, thankful that she always wore shorts under her uniform skit.

“I—I’m so sorry,” Zuko reached out for her, equally embarrassed for the both of them. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Katara winced at the slight pain on the back of her heel to avoid his gaze. “I’m fine.”

“How about from yesterday?”

“Huh?”

Zuko regretted trying to be nice, “Nevermind. You should get to class, the bell’s going to—“

The bell rang.

Zuko cursed and disappeared before she could say anything.

Despite being late, Katara couldn’t make herself move fast enough. She puzzled over what she had just overheard and what had just occurred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This is a Kataang fic I SWEAR!!! And it will not deviate two much from it. Although, there may be one sided crushes here and there… feel free to chastise me for it, but I’m a sucker for it. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Thank you for your patience and support!


	11. Wrath

**Chapter Eleven: Wrath**

The moment Aang walked into his classroom, everyone went quiet. All eyes were trained on him as he nervously shifted in the doorway and made his way towards his desk next to Toph's.

"Would you dunderheads cut the crap?" Her voice sliced the tension in the room as she also glared in her peers' general direction. "Spirits, I'm so glad I can't see. I'd hate to see your dumb expressions."

She turned back towards Aang and stuck her hand out for her snacks. "Took you forever to get here, I'm starving!"

Aang cracked a smile. It was at that moment that he realized that they would be long life friends and that he could always count on Toph to ground him. He didn't know what he'd do without her.

"You could always meet us at the cafeteria, you know," Aang teased as he handed her the wrapped food he had collected for her.

"Hmm, no thanks," she peeled the banana he had brought her. "But thanks for this anyway."

After a brief moment of silence between them, Toph cleared her throat and lowered her voice to ask, "Can I request one more thing?"

"Of course!"

"Is there any chance I can take you up on your offer to fly me home?"

Aang didn't have to be an earth bender of her prowess to know how uncomfortable Toph felt asking for a favor. Her feet were flat on the ground, likely trying to read him, and she had stopped eating, channeling all of her attention on him.

"Of course!" He repeated, his smile even wider than before.

Toph relaxed a little and in a lowered voice said, "Thanks, in return I'll teach you earth bending...when you're ready that is, but how I see, that could be a long while."

Aang's smile disappeared. It was like he wasn't allowed to forget he was the Avatar.

Out of petty annoyance, Aang grumbled under his breath, "As if you can see anything."

Having heard him, Toph swiped the tile under his foot with her earthbending, but Aang was quick to cushion his fall with air. With another gust, he floated onto his seat and stuck his tongue out childishly at her.

For the most part, the classroom returned to their morning routine of rushing through unfinished assignments and daily gossip. Aang himself began to organize his notes before he noticed a pair of eyes staring at him from the doorway.

An upperclassman stood at the doorway, gawking at Aang even as the bell rang.

Bato stopped in front of his classroom, "Is there something I can help you with, Ruon-Jian?"

"Uh," their eye contact broke as he glanced up at his former history teacher. "Headmaster Iroh would like to speak with the Avatar."

"Thank you for delivering the message," Bato stepped aside, "I'll send Aang in a moment."

After stealing another glance at Aang, the Fire Nation student left and Bato began the class. He handed out a worksheet to the class and explained that, unfortunately, it would have to become homework for Aang. Bato offered to go over the lecture with him later and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he gathered his belongings he had set out moments before.

"Now, based on the reading I assigned over the weekend…," his voice faded as Aang dragged his feet towards the Headmaster's office.

Thoughts of running away coursed through his mind while he was alone in the hallways. There were a few unassuming spots throughout the world that he had visited before with Monk Gyatso that seemed like good options. The Fire Nation archipelagos, dense forests within the Earth Kingdom, and vast mountain ranges near the temples were ideal hideouts. Even grand cities like Omashu appealed to him because he could get lost within its crowds, and on the plus side, King Bumi was really fun. He didn't have to be alone, Aang was positive his friend Kuzon from the Fire Nation would be willing to conceal him, maybe even escape with him.

He had always assumed he'd go with the wind and travel throughout the world to make and visit friends, help where he could, and become enlightened like Monk Gyatso. Instead he was bound to the school and his newly found Avatar duties.

Well… he didn't quite know exactly what kind of duties the Avatar held...—but he knew Yangchen had a difficult life.

And yet, he also couldn't bring himself to hate the school. Without it, he would have never met his new friends, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Suki. Aside from traveling alongside Monk Gyatso, nowhere else had felt so right for Aang except with them. Perhaps they could also run away with him. The five of them would have so many fun adventures together!

Before he knew it, his imagination had been the only thing to run away and Aang had arrived in front of an impressive set of iron and wooden double doors. It was so polished, he could almost see his reflection stare back at him.

With a deep breath, Aang steadied his nerves and knocked.

Headmaster Iroh was there a few seconds after to open the door for him and warmly welcome Aang. He walked over to his desk and motioned for his youngest student to sit.

"I hope you like jasmine tea," Iroh exhaled through his nose and Aang noticed more steam rise from the tea cup before him. "It's one of my many favorite teas."

He did, in fact, like the tea because it was one he often drank with Monk Gyatso. Specifically, it had always been a treat after a rigorous lesson or topic to discuss. The more he thought about it, there seemed to be quite a few similarities between the two older men, but Aang dismissed it as common old men traits.

While Aang remained silent, Iroh took the opportunity to explain why he had been called to his office. He wanted to warn the young Avatar that he was going to hold a convocation with the student body to update them on new procedures the school would adopt in light of the campus breach over the weekend.

"This may also be a good opportunity to introduce you to the study body—if you feel that you are ready, of course," Iroh assured him. "I, by no means, want to pressure you into something you are not comfortable with or feel ready to do."

Aang's face, riddled with uncertainty since stepping into his office, morphed into fear. And had Iroh blinked, he would have missed the flicker of pain from an old mentor. For a brief moment, he regretted inviting Aang to the academy at a much younger age than his peers, but he refused to imagine what would have happened without him...

Not wanting to traumatize the poor boy, Iroh he switched topics and served more tea.

Throughout his first two classes of the day, the two discussed Aang's classes, his travels, animal companions, and even girls. At first, Aang was vague about his love interest, but the more he spoke about her, the easier it became for Iroh to identify her. He chuckled and smiled along as Aang spoke, however the final chip against the dam came when Aang sighed dreamily.

Iroh erupted into laughter, "My boy, I do not doubt your interest or conviction, but do not take yourself too seriously in matters of love. At least not yet at your age. You cannot expect everyone around you to match your intensity. Relax and enjoy the attention of the girls… and/or boys, there's no judgement here.

"Did you know that when Gyatso was a little older than you are now, he was very popular with the ladies?" Iroh smiled as he leaned back and recollected the stories he had heard as a child. "My great uncle, Sozin, was best friends with Roku and part of his team and he shared a few stories with me years ago. Apparently, Gyatso and Sud would always bump heads, but mostly, it was Sud against Gyatso. Do you know why?"

It was mostly a rhetorical question, but Aang shook his head no.

With another burst of laughter, Iroh explained, "Because Gyatso was unintentionally stealing girls' attention from Sud!"

The two continued chatting and exchanging stories until Iroh was notified by his secretary that it was time for the assembly. Aang had lost track of time and realized he missed his first four classes of the day. His previous anxiety returned with such force that Iroh reached out to him to steady him.

"It is fine not to be ready, you have until you're sixteen."

Aang looked up with a sheepish smile, "It's not that; I think I can handle the school knowing about me, in fact, most probably do anyway. I'm nervous this time because I just realized that I missed Master Pakku's class."

Once again, Iroh erupted into laughter.

"He is a stickler for attendance!"

. X . X . X .

Typically, Aang and Katara met up by the bottom of the stairs to head to their Water Studies class together. They'd share little jokes and observations from their first two classes, then face one of their toughest classes side by side. While Katara's main challenge was proving her worth to Master Pakku, Aang's main focus was in supporting his friend and keeping up with his peers despite his lack of ability.

Now that they knew his capabilities, she wondered if he was eager to seriously train alongside her. She knew she was.

Yet, he never appeared.

Katara waited until the last possible moment before she sprinted to her class, not wanting to be tardy for the second time that day. Master Yagoda had been kind earlier that morning, forgiving her first offense, but Katara knew Master Pakku wouldn't excuse tardiness and even use it against her. Therefore she didn't mind barreling into her classmates just as the bell rang. She looked up in search of Aang's silver eyes, forgetting to apologize and check to see if the guys were okay, but he wasn't in class either.

Huffing in frustration and desperately wishing he had a cell phone, Katara dusted herself and sat in her chair just as Master Pakku strode into the classroom.

"Because your first examination is approaching, I've managed to arrange for us to use the practice fields this morning," Pakku raised a disapproving brow at the three guys Katara had run over still on the floor. "Why are you not in your seats, gentlemen?"

They attempted to answer, yet the waterbending master had already moved forward. "You have five minutes to change and meet me on the field."

The moment he walked out, Katara was up and gone as well.

Four minutes later, she wasn't the first one on the field, but she was not the last. As she approached their teacher as she braided her hair, he asked about Aang.

"And yourself?"

"Pardon me, sifu, but I do not understand," Katara looked up from her stretches.

"Both of you have discovered a lot about yourselves over the weekend," he observed her as she rose from the ground. "Do you really think yourself capable of continuing your water bending training?"

"Of course!" Ire boiled within her, but she did her best not to show it. He was goading her and she was not going to take the bait.

By the end of the class, she was the last student standing with sweat dripping off her nose and into the river she stood atop. Most of the guys remained on the river's bank and a few were draped over rocks as the river lazily lapped at their practice uniforms.

Satisfied with the results, Pakku dismissed his class, allowing them plenty of time to collect themselves and return to their changing rooms.

In record time, Katara was presentable again and she opened her bag to message her brother and Toph. She stepped out of the locker room as she sent her text to notice she was surrounded by three of the guys from her class. Instantly, she was in the defensive. Her dominant leg shifted back as she dropped her weight and her arms were brought up to protect her center.

All three extended their palms up in surrender, but the one on Katara's right elbowed his friend forward.

"Ah—I, hi Katara," the teen nervously stuttered. He had practically been assigned as her sparring partner for the class since Aang hadn't been able to waterbend the first week.

Her defense dropped out of confusion. They had just been in class together moments before, so she didn't understand his greeting.

"Um, what's up, Sangok?"

He cleared his throat and asked to speak with her, offering to walk her to class.

His friends gave him a few thumbs up and left the two alone.

She glanced at her phone, then agreed when she saw that no new messages had arrived.

"Sooo…," Sangok fidgeted with his shoulder bag and gulped loudly.

Had Katara not been distracted with Aang's disappearance, she would have noticed her classmate's struggle to keep up with her pace and the sweat reaccumulating on his brow.

"I just wanted to ask if—uhm, I mean—-say that you were amazing in class today! Not to say you're not always on top of your game. You're always so beauti—I mean—in control of our element. What I'm trying to say, is that I really admire you and was wondering if—"

"Katara!"

Both waterbenders swiveled at the sound of her name being called from down the hall.

The sea of colored uniforms parted to let the older earthbender approach them, all the while gathering more and more eyes towards Katara.

Haru breached the invisible circle surrounding the two first years and Katara introduced them to one another. Neither boy was quite pleased with their titles as classmates and Sokka's friend, but they were not deterred. They made it their goal to win her over.

Sangok had gained confidence as they walked her to class, however as he turned around to wave goodbye so he could head towards his own class, he knew he had lost. Girls generally preferred guys who made them laugh and Haru had that in the bag. He turned the corner and disappeared from Katara's line of sight just as Jet entered it and casually sent her a two finger salute with a wink.

Haru caught the interaction and light blush on her face. He tried not to let it get to him too much, but it was difficult not to worry over the bad boy persona most girls seemed to fawn over. He knew something was fishy about Jet, however he didn't want to say anything about it to Katara because he didn't have facts to back up his claim. Therefore, before he could say anything wrong and so that his ego wouldn't take too much of a hit, he cut his losses for the time being and also left for his own class.

Katara was grateful for friends' distraction between classes. For a few seconds, the day was completely ordinary and she wasn't missing her best friend by her side until she walked through the threshold of her literature class.

"Good morning, Katara, Aan—Oh!" Madam Noriko looked behind her student and realized her other half was missing.

The woman was very plain and unassuming, yet her facial expressions were often theatrical performances without even trying. Katara could practically see the older woman's thoughts race behind her dilated eyes as she tried to recover from her blunder.

Noriko knew Katara was a strong, independent, young woman, but the anxiety of not having your friend in class was always overwhelming the first few times. She also wanted to scoop the young girl into her arms to comfort her after all the rumors she's heard. The Avatar was not the only one to land everyone's attention. His friends were just as much a part of the spotlight.

While Princess Yue was quick to praise the strength of the talented teens, her counterpart from the Fire Nation shot back with her own criticism. Noriko shouldn't have been surprised over how vicious her fellow countrymen—mere adolescents—could be, but perhaps because they were teens, it meant that it came easier to them to put others down.

According to Princess Azula, the Water Tribe teens were weak and inexperienced, hindering the royal teens every move. Instead of capturing and incapacitating as many enemies as possible, the Fire Nation teens claimed they had to babysit their feeble peers.

It was not in Noriko's place to intervene in petty teenage drama, but she could already see a divide forming amongst the school. It was such a shame to see cliques dominate the scene so early in the school year, but alas it was inevitable in any school. All she could do as their teacher was to watch over and be there for them while providing an education.

She strove to make each class fun and entertaining, however, due to the unexpected assembly, their class was cut short and homework was assigned. Few students groaned at their reading assignment in favor of switching things up for the day.

When the announcement over the intercom ended the shortened class, Madam Noriko reminded everyone to behave and chuckled at their restless energy as they shuffled out of her classroom to head towards the gymnasium.

Alone once more, Katara sought out familiar faces as she followed the herd of teens. She found she could recognize some of her classmates from other classes, but wasn't particularly interested in reaching out towards them. Katara hoped she could find Aang, Toph, or even her brother before she ended up sitting alone, and instead found a familiar face.

"Hey Meng, do you mind if I sit with you?"

The smaller girl jumped, lost in thoughts similar to Katara's.

"Of course!" She looked around the waterbender and hid her disappointment when she didn't spot Aang near her.

They caught up with one another as they found seats and continued to scan the crowd for a particular airbender.

"There he is!" Meng exclaimed before she could stop herself. Selfishly, she turned to look towards Katara to prevent her from following her gaze, but it was too late. Katara saw him too.

He stood next to Headmaster Iroh and a few other teachers and staff. Even from high above on the bleachers, Katara and Meng could see he was nervous. His eyes would occasionally linger towards the sea of students.

"Did you know he was the Avatar?"

Katara shook her head, her eyes not leaving Aang while her smile dropped. "No…," she remained silent for a few moments before switching the subject. "Do you think we should try waving?"

Despite her standing and waving her hands above her head, Aang could not spot her as other students moved around to find seats.

"It was worth a shot," she giggled her embarrassment away.

A throat was cleared over the speakers and Headmaster Iroh encouraged students to quickly find their seats. Not long after, he beamed with pride and began the convocation. He began warm and welcoming, but quickly got to the point.

Not a single movement was heard as he explained to everyone what had occurred over the weekend and what it meant. Rumors were cleared and options were presented.

With a heavy sigh, Headmaster Iroh continued, "I understand if you no longer feel safe at the Academy and would like to transfer to schools closer to home. You shall have letters of recommendation from me and any other assistance you may require so long as you make your decision before the end of the week.

"For those of you choosing to stay," Iroh stood even straighter than before and clasped his hands behind his back, looking every part the general he had once been. "We at the Academy pledge to teach, train, and protect you. Beginning next week, we will begin teaching you school drills and will begin requiring after school defense training as well.

"We are not, and will never classify ourselves as, a military academy, but for the time being, we will take these steps to ensure your safety. More information will be given throughout the week, but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask myself or your teachers."

Iroh's hard, calculating eyes softened as he gazed over his innocent students. Ending with another deep breath, Iroh stepped aside and motioned behind himself.

"All that gloom aside, it is with great pleasure to formally introduce to you, Avatar Aang!"

Microphone in hand, Aang nervously made his way to the middle of the floor next to Iroh. He raised his hand to sheepishly wave to those who clapped and cheered for him.

The loudest and most obnoxious one of all was Sokka, who stood to cheer and whistle. It encouraged his friends around him to laugh and clap just as loud to match him, embarrassing Aang even more.

While his orange blazer and white dress shirt were perfectly fitted for him, Aang managed to sink into them.

Katara gripped her own lapel and leaned forward to offer as much silent encouragement as she could.

With a deep breath of his own, Aang brought up the microphone to his mouth and introduced himself.

"Hi, everyone," he winced at how loud he was and drew his hand back a little. "Sorry about that. I'm Aang and uh… the Avatar, heh, but I guess that was already said… I, uh, look forward to growing with everyone and hope we can all become good friends."

He scanned the crowd and gained more and more encouragement from his peers the more he spoke. Finally, he spotted Katara and his smile widened, forgetting about everyone else in order to speak to her.

"I know everything's a little uncertain right now, but I have faith in our teachers, staff, and each other. I'll also continue to train hard to help protect you, and I'll need your help. Let's work together and I know we will all get through this. Uhm, thank you."

Aang bowed and quickly gave Iroh the microphone despite having a small one attached to his collar.

Their headmaster clapped and ended the assembly, thanking everyone for their attention and dismissing them for lunch.

The gym floor flooded with students, eager to eat, and Sokka led the pack. He threw his arm around Aang's shoulders and dragged him along, congratulating him on his first public speech.

"It was a little rocky at first, but you got the hang of it rather quickly, I must say."

"Sokka, wait—ah what about Katara—"

"Oh, she'll catch up."

Katara watched with mild annoyance as Sokka dragged Aang away. She was about to march down the steps when she noticed Meng still seated and looking down on her lap.

"Meng, are you okay? What's wrong?" Katara sat back down to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

The young girl was upset, but didn't want to explain her breaking heart.

She shook her head at Katara's guesses, but the taller girl was persistent, so finally Meng came up with a different excuse.

"I don't think I'm suited for any type of training," Meng sniffled. She wasn't entirely lying. She hated her physical education class and couldn't imagine having to take another at the end of the day. "I'm not built like you, or even Suki. I'll probably get in the way."

"Oh there's not doubt about that."

Haughty laughter chorused above the two girls.

Azula and her friends walked past them as they continued their jabs.

"But it's even more laughable that a twelve year old thinks he can protect anyone, Avatar or not" Azula flipped her bangs back.

"What do you know, Azula?" Katara glared up at the three girls, but focused her gaze at the princess. "I heard you this morning. What war are you talking about?"

It annoyed Azula at not being addressed by her title by some backwater bumpkin, so she ignored her and kept walking with Ty Lee and Mai.

Unable to control her temper, Katara whipped the water from her water bottle to stop Azula in her tracks.

Just as quickly as the ice encased her shoes to the ground did it disappear. Azula boiled and charged back up towards Katara, forcing her to stand in a defensive position.

"Just who the hell do you think you are, you little bitch?! I could fry you instantly if not for the fact that you're not even worth the effort. Don't you even dare speak to me again or you will wish you never made it out of Pohuai," Azula hissed and led the other two away.

Meng was glued to her seat in fear. She was terrified of the Fire Nation Princess before and was now horror-stricken about a war between Katara and Princess Azula.

. X . X . X .

Katara was too enraged to even speak during lunch. Thoughts raced through her mind and Sokka knew it was best to leave her alone to blow some steam and offered the same advice to Aang, Unfortunately, the foolish boy paid him no mind and followed his sister anyway. Haru, Toph, and Teo split from them as well, leaving Suki and Sokka alone.

"Spirits, I'm so ready for everything to go back to normal now," Sokka stretched before rolling up his dress shirt. "Avatar's been announced, more protective measures are being put in place, nothing to worry about except for the first match in two weeks."

Suki raised a brow at him, "Did last weekend really not phase you? What happened to the proactive older brother I saw?"

Sokka shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Oh no, it did, but it's not our concern now. We gotta let the adult handle it. Did you not see General Iroh instead of Headmaster Iroh back there? Nothing is getting past our walls again. I don't see why anyone would want to leave the school now. We're probably the most safe anyone could be, nothing to worry about except our studies and matches."

She rolled her eyes at him and chuckled. One of the things she really admired about Sokka was his adaptability. On a drop of a hat, he could go from zero to one hundred and back that it fascinated her to a point that she was almost envious. She had wanted to shake off her anxious energy since they returned from Pohuai, but hadn't been able to do it so seamlessly as him.

"Soooo….What are you up to after practice?" Suki bounced stepped beside him, knowing he'll catch on.

"You want to spar, don't you?" Sokka's shoulder dropped, causing his shoulder bag to slide off and drag on the floor.

They were inside the school now and he anxiously looked around for any of Suki's other friends, but he couldn't recognize them without their warrior makeup on.

"Pleeeaaase?" Suki walked backwards with her hands clasped in front of her pleading. "None of the girls want to go against me anymore, and our fourth years and scaling back their practices. Come on, are you afraid I'm going to whip your butt again?"

"Psssh," Sokka dusted her away jokingly, "I've always gone easy on you. One of these days, I'll truly show you how it's done."

She continued to egg him on until they were about to split and he agreed to meet up with her after practice if he wasn't too tired.

Excited, Suki twirled and disappeared, leaving Sokka behind with a goofy smile on his face. She rarely did her little twirles, that Sokka had to stand outside his classroom for a few moments dazed until he had it committed to memory.

The bell ringing jump started his mind and Sokka sidestepped into the classroom as if he was inside it the whole time.

"How's it going, roomie?" Sokka sat beside Zuko.

"Uhhh…. Could you guys keep Katara away from Azula?" Zuko anxiously bounced the rubber tip of his pencil. "I think they might kill each other."

"Is that why she's furious?" Aang swiveled back to hear.

"I don't know, I know enough not to get in between two girls fighting," Zuko flipped his hands in the air. "I'm just giving you a heads up. Azula wouldn't say anything to me either."

Sokka shook his head in disbelief and focused on class. Soon enough girls were off his mind and they had only one class left after the bell rang.

On his way to his favorite class of the day, Sokka spotted Yue and caught up to her. They had the class together, so he figured he'd kindly check up on her to see if she finished her homework. Luckily he had, because in all the excitement over the weekend, Yue had forgotten.

The two quickly got to class and compared notes. Laughing at the thrill of cutting it close, Yue thanked him and asked for one more favor.

"Of course, anything!" Sokka eagerly agreed.

"Would," Yue looked away and back at Sokka, a blush growing stronger, "would you help teach me a few self defense moves after class? I mean after practice today. I know you guys practice Mondays through Wednesdays. I just don't want to go into the new after school classes without any background knowledge."

"Of course, no problem!" Sokka nodded along. "I get ya. Let's meet at the shack where they keep the mats. I'll meet you there after practice."

"Thank you, Sokka!" Yue smiled so sweetly at him, that he couldn't focus for the rest of the class and apparently the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and reviewing!!! Sorry for the delay, I should be back to normal, but life... ugh.


	12. Dangerous Flirting

**Chapter Twelve: Dangerous Flirting**

Aang hadn't wanted to be rude when a few of his classmates asked to watch his training after school, but the amount that showed up was ridiculous.

He and Katara peeked around the corner to see a crowd of students sitting around the practice field where Aang had practiced his airbending with Monk Gyatso and a few other airbenders the week before.

"A few, huh?" Katara smirked next to him.

He gulped and readjusted his bookbag as a nervous tick.

"It was only On Ji and two other girls from sixth hour," he held up three fingers as if they could explain to him how they multiplied to about twenty of their peers.

"Plus those guys from our last class and the small group we ran into before we changed into our traditional training robes," she pointed out while adjusting her own clothing. At first she had found it amusing that Aang had quickly amassed a fanbase after his mini speech in front of the entire school, but now she was uncertain about them watching them practice. This would be the first time she and Aang would actually challenge each other with their own elements.

Taking a deep breath, Aang straightened his shoulders and mentally fortified himself. He took the first step forward and assured himself and Katara, "It's okay, we've got this. Just remember to go easy on me; I'm younger than you."

Katara snorted, releasing the tension around her shoulders.

"Riiight, Avatar or not, you're already a master airbender; I should be saying that to you," she nudged his elbow as she matched his pace.

As they approached, they noticed Monk Gyatso teaching the students about their nomadic culture. He was speaking of spirituality and how it correlated to airbending, engrossing the students from the three other nations. While everyone was seated before him, he demonstrated how much easier it was to feel their surroundings through meditation, similar to how airbenders felt and manipulated air.

He had the students close their eyes and relax, "Open your mind and feel the grass below you; embrace the warmth of the sun on your skin; let go of your concerns, fears, and negative thoughts so you can feel as light as a feather. Now we will be breathing in… and out… Feel that cool breeze…"

Gyatso raised his arms and spread his fingers to navigate a breeze towards the meditating students and motioned with a wink for Aang and Katara to leave without him.

They turned to leave and Momo popped out of Gyatso's robes to follow Aang. Once far enough not to distract the students' meditation, he began chattering in Aang's ear and handed him the note in his grasp.

It was from Gyatso and read:

Aang, I understand you likely missed class with Master Pakku, therefore I'd like for you to practice your waterbending with Katara today. You two may spar together next week when I am able to supervise.

Reading over his shoulder, Katara wondered aloud how he managed to write it without them noticing. He couldn't have known there would be a crowd wanting to watch Aang practice, could he?

Shrugging, Aang mimicked his mentor's raspy voice, "'When you've been around the block a few times, you know a thing or two,' maybe?"

Katara giggled at his poor impression of Gyatso, but she had to admit he made a great old man.

"Come on, Grandad, you may have been around the block a few times, but I don't think even that will be able to help you on one of Master Pakku's tests!" She grabbed his hand and led him towards a hidden pond she found within the school's borders.

Together, the two evaded more students by running into the edge of the woods. The afternoon sun grew dimmer and dimmer the more Katara led them into the dark foliage. Aang would be lying to himself if he didn't admit he was nervous about poison ivy and dangerous fauna, but he wasn't able to dwell on it for too long with Katara's warm hand wrapped around his. He almost wished they'd never reach their destination, except that his attention quickly shifted as their surroundings brightened and they could hear something ahead of them.

Katara slowed to a silent prowl, reminding Aang of a mountain lion fox, and mimicked her pace. Her hand tightened around his until she recognized the figure through the bush they hid behind. Dropping Aang's hand, Katara walked forward to clearly see Jet slashing at a tree stump.

Startled by the rustling, Jet fixated his dual hook swords towards them, then lowered them once he recognized the two.

"Hey Katara, Aang. I'd be careful sneaking around like that," Jet warned. "If you would have caught me off guard while training intensely rather than cooling down, I could have seriously hurt you. What are you two doing in the middle of the forest, anyway?"

Aang opened his mouth to ask the same thing, but Katara was quicker.

"I was going to catch Aang up on the waterbending practice we had in class today," she approached closer to get a better look at his swords. "What are you doing here?"

The older teen clasped his swords to back into place by his hips and motioned for them to come closer.

They walked past the pond in the middle of the clearing and met him behind the dead tree he had been previously carving. Jet moved and a few vines and branches to reveal a handmade training course made of logs, vines, and young trees.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Jet could see the excited curiosity behind Aang's eyes.

It was nothing compared to the full obstacle course he'd created back home that all the kids in his village loved, but it was enough to keep him entertained by himself. Not even Smellerbee and Longshot knew about his secret hideout and the three barely kept anything from one another.

"Can I⸺?" Aang bounced on the balls of his feet and leapt for joy as Jet gave him a nod of approval before he could finish asking.

In a flurry, yet without using his airbending, Aang jumped up, grabbed hold of a vine and pulled himself up to reach the makeshift monkey bars high within the tree's branches.

While Aang entertained himself, Katara asked more questions in between her giggles from Aang's goofiness. The school year had only recently begun, therefore it must have been created at least the year before. Her biggest question was, why.

Jet shrugged and placed the shaved stem of a cattail he nicked from the pond into his mouth.

"To exercise, I suppose," he spoke around it, "both body and mind. Back home, I'd build these… playgrounds of sorts for my buddies and some of the kids in town. It'd help us keep out of trouble and keep us occupied as we'd build more elaborate courses. It's the building block of our Freedom Fighter's club, ya'know."

They sat on a fallen tree while Katara listened in awe as Jet described how he had been introduced to his hobby after his parents' death and the rough childhood that followed. He recalled how he had been transferred from family member to family member, never staying in one place for more than six months because no one could afford to keep him. It had hurt, he admitted, but from all the jumping around, he had learned bits and pieces of family trades that he ended up using and began to work at ten years old.

"Four years later, I'm emancipated from the system and a year later, Headmaster Iroh sent for me," Jet kicked off the log to stand and sweep away his depressing memories. "Sorry for unloading all of that on you, Katara. It just felt so easy to talk to you and explain my past to someone like you. Don't look at me like that, Katara, aside from my parents' dying, I wouldn't go back to change a thing. It's all led me here and my friends are all the family I need now.

"Speaking of which," he turned his head towards the school, "I best be heading back so I can meet up with them and let you guys practice in peace. See you around, Aang!"

Aang did a flip and gracefully landed in front of them, "You're leaving already?

"It sounds like you've got some training to catch up on," Jet winked then looked down at his watch and winced at the time. "Do you guys, uh, mind keeping this place our little secret? I don't normally mind sharing my obstacle courses, but with too many people…"

"Our lips are sealed!" Aang promised with a motion of zipping his lips.

"Thanks," Jet grinned at him and softened his gaze towards Katara who still looked at him with pity. "For real, Katara, it's all good! See you around." He winked at her and disappeared into the woods.

"Is something wrong?" Aang turned back towards Katara with concern. It looked like she had tears in her eyes, but with the limited lighting, he couldn't be quite sure.

Jet never mentioned keeping his past a secret, yet it wasn't her place to share it, so she shook her head.

"Just a little nervous about tutoring you in waterbending," she made her way towards the pond as she thought back to class earlier that day. "I've only ever seen you waterbend that one time… Uh, do you think you can do it again?"

The anxious expression he gave her answered the question, so they started from the very beginning: Tui and La.

Even as a young waterbender without any guidance, Katara learned about the push and pull of the tides and moon and learned to replicate the motion with her own ability. Therefore, in her own attempt at sounding like Monk Gyatso, she instructed Aang to kneel down next to her and open his mind in order to feel the water next to them.

Chuckling, Aang did as he was told and took a deep breath, then exhaled. Together with Katara, he dipped his hands in the water and tried to meditate as he listened to her montra of "push and pull."

Master Pakku's lectures came to mind and it only dawned on him at that moment how advanced the first year class truly was for a beginner like him.

He heard Katara walk into the pond and felt the water tickle his fingers as it accommodated the extra volume. Curiosity begged him to open his eyes, but he trusted her methods and kept his eyes closed until he felt her wet fingers smooth out the creases on his forehead.

"You're doubting, Aang," he could hear the frown in her voice and began to chant her montra in his head.

"Notice the sensation as I move within the water," she continued softly.

Push and pull, rise and fall, smooth and rough, yin and yang… and something clicked within him. Without her saying anything, Aang began to raise and lower his hands like he'd once seen her do. He felt the water resist and give way to his movements, but the water never left his hands as he inched them higher and higher.

A soft, excited gasp escaped Katara's lips as Aang raised his hands from the pond with a small trail following them.

Excited giggles erupted between the two, causing the spell to break. Water splashed back down, but neither seemed to mind. As if Aang's terrible display back at Pohuai wasn't proof enough, the two finally came to terms that Aang was indeed the Avatar, master of the four elements.

. X . X . X .

"What took you so long!" Hissed possibly the most dangerous girl Jet would ever know.

He could practically see her golden eyes in the shadows burn with fury at being kept waiting. As a Princess, he doubted she ever had to learn what the word "patience" meant because with a snap of her fingers, she'd get what she wanted. Well that luck was about to runout if he had any say about it. Royalty was at the top of his shitlist and he'd bow down to no one.

"Don't get your royal panties in a twist."

His raised hands in mock surrender were shoved into his pockets, drawing her calculating eyes towards the swords at his waist.

Smart, the boy knew to fear her, understood what it meant to get near her. Perhaps her choice in pawn wouldn't be a total waste. She hated adding unknown factors into her schemes, yet she couldn't risk others catching on if she had Ty Lee or Mai doing her dirty work. Jet was just enough lone wolf with charisma to fool everyone at the school, including her fuddy duddy uncle.

It was still a risk involving someone so vehemently against Fire Nation, but Azula was never one to back down from a challenge. Besides, it was barely a week into the new school year and she was bored. She would have thought there would be more excitement, or at least better opponents, in attending a school mixed with boys instead of all girls.

Like always, it was up to her to shake things up a bit.

"I know who killed your parents."

Any sort of playfulness from Jet evaporated. It was as if he were made of stone because he couldn't move, blink, or even breathe. Not even five minutes ago had he felt safe enough to reveal a little bit about himself, only to have it ripped out of him so violently by the devil herself.

"I can give you their names, maybe even help you track them down if you'd like, but I need something from you," she circled him like viper shark toying with its prey. "Now I understand you may not believe me, and I don't blame you; I wouldn't believe me either if I were you. Chen and Lan didn't raise a gullible son."

The suffocating curse broke. Jet hated how she said their names as if mocking their weakness for dying.

"They died in an accident," he gritted his teeth.

"On second thought, perhaps they didn't live long enough to prevent that."

Unable to keep his anger in check, he lashed out with his swords, but she was too quick and jumped out of the way.

"What the hell do you want?!"

"I hear you're a jack of all trades," Azula began her prowl again, examining his hook swords and stance. "I know you're extremely smart and clever by your grades. And before you ask, yes, I've looked up your records in the school's database.

"I can also see you're strong and skillful despite being a non-bender." With a roundhouse kick, she knocked his sword out of his dominant hand and pulled him in close to her face with his tie. "I mean no offense by that, my best friends are non-benders as well."

It took everything in his willpower not to spit in her face.

"What do you want?"

She smiled wickedly and straightened his uniform for him.

"You're going to be my boyfriend and do couple-y things for me."

. X . X . X .

Despite practice being brutal, Sokka ran towards the practice field sheds in record time to meet up with Yue. He'd been distracted all throughout the team's scrimmages just thinking about how he could best help the princess.

While he had spent the year prior admiring her from afar, he had never been quite close enough to get to know her or know her strengths or weaknesses. From the few classes he's had with her, he could tell that she was smart and studied hard, but never made it a point to speakout in class unless called upon. Whenever he saw her outside of class, if she was not hanging out with her friends, she was in the library studying and taking notes. In fact, if Sokka hadn't been so smitten with her, he would have found her suspicious for being almost too perfect, the ideal student.

Well, she is a princess, Sokka's enamored mind supplied. One was to assume the princesses must remain at the head of the crowd. He hadn't quite gotten to meet Princess Azula either, but he didn't doubt her academic abilities either. Perhaps they had their appearances to uphold, thus would solely focus on their school work.

Of course he was only left to wonder. Sokka had hoped that with Katara as Yue's roommate, she'd reveal a little more about her likes and dislikes in potential partners or what kind of characteristics she found attractive. Instead, Katara was as observant as an ostrich horse with blinders. Any time he asked what the girls would discuss at night, Katara would relay her concerns about Master Pakku.

"What? That's all you talk about? Every night?!" He just about pulled his hair out at the absurdity.

Katara's brows burrowed and her cerulean eyes shifted in thought.

"Oddly enough, yes," she began to eat while the rest of their friends slowly arrived at the table for breakfast. "We pretty much have gotten into a routine where we talk about our day as we prepare for bed. Every time I ask her, she laughs it off and says, 'Not as exciting as your day.'"

Unsatisfied, Sokka chastised her and her self-absorbedness.

Well he would be different from his sister. He would show Yue the proper attention she deserves!

Sokka turned the corner and found her waiting.

She had her beautiful, white, long hair pulled back and away from her face with a light sweat on her temple as she cooled down from her jog by stretching. And as always, she was stunning in everything she did.

Yue pushed off the ground and pocketed her phone into her satchel to give her full attention to her self-defense teacher. With an anxious smile, she thanked him again for agreeing to meet with her.

"Psh, not at all. Don't sweat it," he motioned away her worries. "I'm kinda honored you approached me, to be honest. I woulda thought you'd ask Katara or someone from your tribe. Do you mind if I ask why?"

A deep blush swept across her face as she looked away and bit her bottom lip.

Long ago, Yue had made it a point to be honest with everyone, but that didn't mean she had to tell him everything. Therefore, she gave him a watered down version.

"Honestly, I had considered Katara before you, but I figured she'd be more intune with her waterbending than without it." She deflated as she continued on, "And none of my closest friends are skilled fighters and the guys from my tribe are still somewhat chauvinistic and set in the old ways. They'd rather fight for me than with me. I really admire how you're different."

It was not that long ago when Sokka would have agreed with his northern counterparts. He had seen how the men in his tribe defended and fought for women and thus had it ingrained in his mind that roles were set. However, that was not to say that southern women meek, they were often matriarchs, yet it wasn't until Katara began to speak her mind and act out as she grew that he realized she was just as capable as him to hunt and fight. They had gotten into some serious tussles in their youth, but that had only made them stronger.

Then of course, once at the academy, he met Suki and she⸺

Sokka's eyes widened so much and the color drained from his face that Yue was startled and jumped back.

"Oh, fuck" Sokka pulled out his phone and began to rapidly text.

Suki was going to kill him for standing her up! She looked so excited to spar with him, but now he was certain she would just end him the next time he saw her.

"Sokka, are you all right?" She reached out for him, worried that he might faint from exhaustion or dehydration. "We can postpone if you'd like."

After sending his frantic text, he focused his attention back on Yue.

"No, no, it's all right. Uh, let us begin," he straightened, hoping to get rid of the guilt setting in his stomach, and raised his hand in a stop motion. "I need you to punch me as hard as you can. Ah⸺ my hand I mean."

The skeptical look on her face led him to explain how he wanted to know her arm strength and would soon be followed by her leg strength. Unfortunately, her fist missed his outstretched palm and she socked him in the jaw.

"I deserved that," Sokka winced at the karma. He'd been hit worse, but at least she had a decent left hook.

Before they continued any further, Sokka went into the shed and retrieved a few of the padded mitts to test her kicks. For the next half hour, he taught her basic punches and kicks and had her use him as a punching bag to test her endurance. She was a long distance runner, so he knew she had stamina, but he didn't know how much. Plus, he wanted her to learn how to attack so that when she learned to defend, it would come easier.

"That's it, release all that pent up anger," Sokka joked as she began to slow down. "Pretend I'm all the dreaded homework and assignments you loath."

"Sokka, stop," she giggled, trying to keep her focus and failing.

He kept the silly banter up until he felt like her punches were that of a sleepy pillow fight.

"All right, all right, I think that's enough for today," he glanced at his watch and noticed they only had fifteen minutes left of dinnertime. "Uh oh. We better pack up for the night or we'll starve if we don't get food before they close!"

Noticing the time to day for the first time, Yue agreed as she caught her breath. She was exhausted, but felt extremely light somehow. She couldn't explain the odd sensation, but it quickly dissipated once she reached for her phone and saw all the missed calls and texts from her friends. They were wondering where she'd disappear to and were mildly freaking out.

"I can't thank you enough for doing this for me, Sokka. Is the same time tomorrow okay?" She looked back up at him after sending a few texts to her friends.

"Of course! We can work on defensive moves tomorrow, but uh," he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Do you mind if I invite Suki to help us with that? She's actually the one that's taught me the most when it comes to using your opponent's strength against them. It might be best to learn from her, too."

Yue would be lying to herself if she didn't say she was a little disappointed, but it was her goal to learn as much as she could, so she agreed. She hadn't told her friends what she was up to, because a part of her wanted to keep Sokka all to herself, however she definitely admired Suki as well. Together, the two of them at Pohuai were an incredible team and she was also aware of the slight jealousy she harbored towards them.

"Of course, I'll see you two tomorrow then. Have a good night!"

She headed towards the dorms to wash up, leaving Sokka to run towards the dining hall alone.

When he arrived, it was mostly empty, but he spotted Toph finishing her meal alone.

"What's up, Stinkers?" She grinned at him as he approached.

"I'm not⸺" he raised an arm to sniff himself and blenched. "Okay, maybe I am a little…"

She shrugged, scarfing down the last of her food, "I don't really care, I've smelt worse."

"I see," he was doubtful, but didn't want to fight her over it. "Why are you all alone?"

Again she shrugged and rested her chin on her palm, attempting to look at him. "Who knows. Aang and Katara ate quickly then left to probably go flirt somewhere⸺"

"They're what?!"

"Haru and Teo were excited over some game and took their food to their rooms, and Suki seemed pissed, yet only left a few minutes ago. I'm kinda dreading going back, tee-bee-aitch, so I'm hanging out here," she extended herself in her chair, becoming quite comfortable. "I was mostly surprised about your disappearance. I didn't think anything came between you and your food."

Sokka sorted and nodded along, then verbally confirmed it when he remembered she couldn't actually see his response despite looking towards him.

"Not much does, Toph, not much does. What about you, what have you been up to?"

"You know, playing with some dirt, plotting some jailbreak," she planted her feet on the floor and grinned wickedly for a twelve year old.

He never remembered Katara going through such an abrasive phase like Toph seemed to be struggling through. He figured she'd grow out of it eventually, therefore he let her be and played along with it for his own amusement.

The two continued to chat together until they were kicked out of the cafeteria and then went their separate ways. He didn't quite follow what she was going on about refining metal earth, yet his inquisitive mind didn't linger on it for long. Toph had sent him a text updating Sokka on Suki, claiming: Sounds like some poor sucker is gonna get it tomorrow.

Sokka gulped and wondered if he should help speed along Toph's jailbreak plan.

. X . X . X .

Monk Gyatso was the last of the teachers to enter Headmaster Iroh's office. He had just finished leading that morning's meditation and was in a very relaxed mood despite the severity of the early morning meeting. Only those associated with protection detail were present, however most of them were also part of The Order.

They were set to organize training routines for the students, benders and non-benders, and create various practice drills for a myriad of emergencies. The grim hippo-elephant in the room was unavoidable, they could all sense the danger approaching.

"For some of you, I thank you for waking up a little earlier than normal in order for us to meet," Iroh began. "Unfortunately, we all know of the urgency, so let us begin.

"Out of the fifteen captured from the Pohuai Stronghold, a third committed suicide, three have escaped, and the rest have taken a vow of silence. Nevertheless, knowing what we know, I doubt they could have added any trivial detail. We've seen instability continue to grow amongst the nations ever since Avatar Roku's disappearance almost two decades ago, however, I honestly never thought it would touch our school.

"In light of our security break, I have begrudgingly accepted the Fire Lord's assistance and he will be sending an elite group of soldiers headed by Commander Zhao to help monitor our perimeter. I will be vetting them off campus before they are allowed near the school, therefore will be out tomorrow. Once they have been here for a week, I would like your opinions of the guard and will potentially reach out to the other nations for a rotation of guards for the school should we deem it necessary."

After Iroh finished the update, he delegated tasks before dismissing everyone except for the two airbending masters.

A heavy sigh escaped Iroh's lips once the three were alone. His eyes were downcast, but stood and met their gazes before bowing to apologize.

"I hate to ask this of you two, but the General in me needs transparency." It pained him to utter, "Are you willing to break your pacifist vows in order to protect the students?"

Gyatso closed his eyes and took a deep breath before responding, "I have failed my friend Roku before, but I solemnly promise not betray Aang. I will do what I must."

With a shaky breath beside her elder, Sister Amala also pledged to protect her students she loved.

"I am so sorry," Iroh braced himself against his desk. "I will do everything in my power to prevent that outcome, but you have my eternal gratitude for your commitment. I just pray to every spirit that it doesn't have to come to it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, I honestly did not plan to make this story so...deep/dark (not sure how to describe this turn of events). I just wanted to have a go at my own idea of their high school life.
> 
> THANK YOU FOR READING AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope 2021 will be better for all of us!
> 
> I will update as often as I can (I hope at least once every two weeks) and am working on another Kataang story, but not as slowburn as this one turning out to be. T^T


	13. Friends

**Chapter Thirteen: Friends**

_There were too many of them. Quantity over quality rarely yielded a strong outcome, but the frenzied attack of skilled earth and firebenders were almost too much for such an elite team like them. Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai were all supreme fighters after years at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls and Zuko himself has trained under his uncle, the famous General Iroh. Fire Nation education was essentially military training and the men they fought were definitely classically trained._

_Zuko noticed how the rogue benders attacked together, used to following orders and following precise directions._

_Like swarms of ants, men kept coming out of the pagoda, surrounding the young adolescents. Deflecting and striking back with fire and weapons was simple enough, but he doubted the girls had much experience with other benders outside of fire. Zuko himself hadn’t sparred with other elements aside from his first year at the United Nations Academy and was having a difficult time fending off attacks._

_Fire surrounded them and the earth rumbled beneath them. More than a dozen men rushed towards him, all with masks crumbling and morphing into gruesome faces. As more and more men appeared, the less they fought and lunged for Zuko. They’d crumble and disintegrate like paper every time he shot fire at them, yet there was no end._

_A pained cry was heard a few meters away from Zuko, drawing his attention towards Mai._

_Blood trickled down her temple._

_Firebenders were no match for the girl, however earthbenders quickly discovered her lack of experience and ganged up on her. She wasn’t someone they needed, therefore they quickly closed in on her. A wave of bodies took her down, removing her from Zuko’s view._

_“MAAIII!!!”_

Cold water shocked Zuko awake and immobilized him. His eyes darted around the room, analyzing the danger, only to realize he had been drenched by his roommate.

The room’s temperature skyrocketed even more, triggering the room’s sprinkler system.

Sokka growled, “Great. Now I’m wet. That’s what I was trying to prevent.”

“You’re mad?!” Zuko burst, tossing his soggy bed sheets away in order to help Sokka with the control box in their closet. “You’re not the one rudely awakened by a bucket of water!!”

The younger of the two slapped his roommate’s hands away from the metal switchboard before he ruined anything else.

“I was trying to prevent this! You were about to set the room on fire because of your nightmare!” He flicked a few more switches and shut its door. “I think I prefer the subzero temperatures of my home than to be boiled alive by my room⸺ Zuko…, are you okay?”

The Fire Nation Prince paced back and forth, running his hands through his wet hair as if trying to scrub soap out of it. He was mumbling to himself, and if Sokka hadn’t gone through the same traumatic experience as him a few days ago, he would have run out of there as quickly as he could. Sokka had seen men from their tribe react similarly after difficult hunts, often having lost a friend. Zuko needed him there.

Neither talked to one another, Zuko carried on his solo conversation while Sokka salvaged what he could from the sprinklers. Fortunately, their uniforms were dry, but their book bags weren’t spared. Noting the rise in temperature again, Sokka held out their bags towards the firebender, hoping they’d dry.

“Not to rush or make light of your panic attack,” Sokka tossed Zuko his uniform, “but we gotta head out if we wanna get breakfast before class.”

They quickly changed and headed out the door, but not before Zuko asked him about the Southern Water Tribe’s armed forces.

“We don’t… exactly have any,” Sokka studied Zuko before continuing. “We’re a collection of strong knit communities that coexist within the south. Our warriors are more like hunting partners more than anything.”

“And the North?”

Sokka shrugged, “They’re definitely more uniform and structualized than us, but I honestly can’t say too much about them… Why do you ask?”

Zuko blew a strand of hair out of his face as he attempted to tame the rest into a topknot.

“The men we fought at the Pohuai stronghold,” he lowered his voice, unsure of why he felt the need to do so, “they were military men, or at least had military background. It’s been bothering me that a group that large has only just now gotten on anyone’s radar and I’m wondering if it’s even larger.”

“Zuko,” Sokka rested his hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “Relax, Headmaster Iroh says he’s got it under control. He’s told us not to worry about anything. Nothing can go wrong with The General Iroh investigating, or so I’ve heard. You just gotta focus on yourself and how you’re gonna get that stoic goth chick to be your girl.”  
“What?!” He slapped away Sokka’s hand. “I’ve never mentioned anything about a girl.”

Sokka smirked, “You’ve never mentioned anything to me before, this is the first time we’ve even really talked outside of class, but you have talked in your sleep about Mai plenty of times.”

A blush heated his face, “Shut up! At least I don’t have panic attacks about supposedly two-timing a friend with another friend.”

“Ha! So you were listening to me! Aww, you actually care about me, Zuko.”

He easily dodged Sokka’s attempt at a hug, “It was kinda hard to study when you were freaking out that Suki, or whatever her name was, was going to kill you. I should have saved her the effort and finished you myself.

“Look, if they were a small band of strictly firebenders or earthbenders, I wouldn’t be too concerned and listen to my uncle, yet something’s nagging at me,” he returned to what was distressing him. “I need to look more into it…”

“Okay, bye,” Sokka huffed as Zuko walked away from him towards the school. His eyes followed him until a figure in green caught his attention.

She was small and, to the untrained eye, blended in well with the school’s bushes. Had he not gotten to know the affluent pre-teen, Sokka may have not believed his eyes either.

“What in the Spirit World are you doing, rolling around in the dirt, Miss Toph Beifong? Setting up your jailbreak plan?”

Toph swiped her palm across the ground, effectively shifting Sokka into the shadows.

“Don’t let anyone see you,” she hissed. “I’m hunting, more or less.”

Sokka’s ears perked, “Hunting what? Ants?”

“Nah, that’s too easy,” Toph chuckled, “Although, you might wanna move; you’re standing right on top of an ant hill.”

Just as she mentioned it, he began feeling the insects crawl under his pant leg.

He exclaimed and bounced around, trying to shake them off. Toph grunted in annoyance and got up from her hiding spot. There was no point in continuing her search with Sokka gathering so much attention.

After a few more silly dances to shake them off, Toph asked him, “Are you done?”

Sokka shivered, appeased for the time being.

“Yeah, I think so,” he straightened out his uniform, then reached for Toph.

He dusted off her sleeves and cleared a smudge from her cheek.

“So what were you ‘hunting?’”

Toph turned sharply so he wouldn’t see her redden, “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Sokka was not about to be brushed off for the second time that morning, “Now listen here young lady⸺”

But she took off, giggling.

“Toph! Get back here!”

She rounded the corner, totally intending to dodge Katara, but slammed into Aang at full force.

“Bleeding hog monkeys!” Toph cursed as she held her head. “Watch where you’re floating, Twinkle Toes!”

“Me?!” Aang held his nose, now bleeding. “You’re the one who appeared around the corner out of nowhere!”

“Oh my Spirits! Aang, your nose!” Katara bounced between the two, uncertain who to care for first. “Toph, how’s your head?”

“Are you two okay?!” Sokka finally caught up.

Toph waved both of the water tribe siblings away, “I’m fine, I’m fine. I’m made of solid rock. Fix the sack of feathers over there instead.”

Katara dropped her prodding fingers from her forehead to focus on Aang who shot her an annoyed look.

“That was pretty wicked,” Sokka chuckled now that he knew they were all right. “I kinda wish I recorded it!”

His sister glared at him and returned the healing water to her bottle inside her bag.

“Why were you even running?”

Sokka opened his mouth to redirect that question towards Toph, but she beat him to the punch, “Hey, look! Isn’t that Suki?”

The three looked toward where she was pointing only to realize she pulled a fast one over them and ran away again.

“You’re not getting away!! Get back here Beifong!!” Sokka took aff after her.

Aang and Katara stared after them, amazed to see Sokka run in the opposite direction of the cafeteria. They gave each other disbelieving looks then jumped when a voice appeared behind them.

“Wow, they sure have a lot of energy so early in the morning!”

Aang removed the tissue from his nose and happily greeted On Ji.

She clasped her hands behind herself and walked with them to the dining hall, “Did you both just come from morning meditation?”

Katara chuckled, “I didn’t, I am a stubborn night owl and will sleep for as long as I can. I think I’d fall right back to sleep if I tried.”

“It’s happened to me a few times when I was younger,” Aang admitted and smiled at both girls, “but you’re always welcome to join any time! Monk Gyatso loves teaching new people.”

On Ji giggled. “He was great yesterday, even though it was used as a distraction, it was a lot of fun! After a while we realized he ran away too.”

Aang laughed at his Master’s old tricks. When they were children, he’d begin guiding them through meditation, only to disappear in the middle of it and hide from them. They’d spend hours flying around on their gliders or searching for him within the temple only to find him meditating elsewhere with a smile on his face.

“He’s everyone’s favorite back home,” he spoke around his hand as if sharing a very big secret. Aang would take any opportunity to praise his favorite master and happily shared more stories about him to the girls.

They selected their morning meal and sat together facing the entrance, slowly gathering more and more friends. Till and a few airbenders added to Aang’s stories about Monk Gyatso and their life in the air temples, drawing a few eyes towards them as they laughed and enjoyed themselves.

Katara had to cover her mouth a few times to prevent herself from spewing her orange juice everywhere. She was a little jealous of her friends having such warm and loving teachers while her first master was sexist and cold hearted. For the most part she was self taught, but all of the airbenders’ stories reminded her of how her brother and father were great sports and often allowed her to practice on them. She supposed Monk Gyatso and the other monks and nuns were their pseudo parents and family members.

It had at first boggled her mind when Aang first explained that aspect of his culture, but watching him and the other airbenders warmed her heart. It was almost like having a myriad of siblings he could bond with. Even their relationships with their elders were so appealing, Katara could never imagine Master Pakku doing half of the silly things Aang had described.

Her chuckles died in her throat and her mood soured when she saw Azula with her two friends sitting with Jet. They must want something from him because Azula sat really close to him and looked like she was attempting to flirt. Katara rolled her eyes and seemed to have made a noise because Aang and On Ji turned to look at her quizzically. Embarrassed, she casually dismissed it and continued listening to everyone’s stories.

Yet, despite all of her efforts to focus on the stories shared, her eyes kept drifting towards Jet and Azula. Her two friends had left, leaving the two alone and it annoyed Katara. Not wanting to continue watching them, she made up an excuse about needing to look over her homework before class and excused herself.

“Better see you in class, Aang,” she joked then disappeared.

It wasn’t long after she left that everyone began wrapping up breakfast and dispersed towards class. Those that remained behind inquired about Aang’s after school activities. They were eager to watch him train, but he confessed to practicing with Katara the day before. Upon their look of disappointment, Aang promised to let them watch next week and to hang out with them throughout the week if they liked.

“What about today?” A boy in the Earth Kingdom uniform asked. “Want to play a game of Capture the Flag with some of us?”

Aang brightened, “Yeah! I’d love to! How do we play?”

Between the group of first and second years, they explained the game to him. Thus plans were set and his task for the day was to recruit more benders. He needed at least three others, one from each of the other elements, to join his team, but the more teams to play the better.

“What about non-benders?” He asked, thinking about Sokka and Suki, wondering if they’d want to join too.

“It’s typically too dangerous for us,” On Ji admitted, “but we’re happy to watch and cheer.”

One of her friends elbowed her, “What do you mean, ‘us?’ You’re a firebenders too, ya know.”

She blushed and tried to shush her friend, “Not a very good one, I would just hold everyone back. I’m fine watching.”

“You should definitely join!” Aang overheard and happily offered her a chance to play with them. “I promise you wouldn’t slow anyone down; I’ve never even played before.”

“Are you sure?”

On their way to class together in a group, Aang assured her, “You can be on my team! I don’t really know other firebenders and I really doubt Zuko would want to join. He doesn’t seem the type to want to play, although he probably should…”

A few of the students scoffed, incredulous that their crown prince would ever join anything involving teamwork. The second years recalled their previous year with the standoffish prince and didn’t paint a pretty picture of him. According to them, Zuko refused to work on group assignments with anyone, choosing to work alone instead. Others described how he once made a girl cry after confessing her love to him. Had he been the only royal teen at the school, he might have gotten away with such a rotten attitude, however Princess Yue put him to shame.

The two heirs to their respective thrones were as different as night and day. Yue was beloved by all due to her kindness, compassion, and beauty. Zuko may be somewhat handsome despite his scar, yet he couldn’t hold a flame against Yue.

“I dunno,” another one of On Ji’s friends lowered her voice and giggled, “I still kinda ship ‘em. Just imagine a steamy romance between Fire Nation and Water Tribe!”

“That’s blasphemous!” One of the Water Tribe’s students retaliated. “Your prince could never deserve a princess like Yue. Besides, our culture values family bonds above all and we would never dream of marrying her off to someone outside the Northern Water Tribe.”

Most of the guys dipped from the conversation and headed towards class, but Aang listened closely to the girls’ drama. He didn’t realize there were politics in love, yet in terms of alliances, it sort of made sense. Then they began debating the philosophies and mesh of cultures with what nationalities worked best with whom and Aang was glad their minute warning bell rang.

Everyone quickly scattered and Aang called after them to remind them about their game after school.

“What’s this game about?” Toph appeared behind him.

Her hair was a little out of place and her uniform a little dirty compared to how he saw her last. Aang opened his mouth to inform her, but something told him she wouldn’t care much about it anyway.  
Instead he let her know about the game after school and invited her to join his team.

“No thanks, that sounds lame,” she led them towards their seats.

Smirking, Aang signed, “It’s okay, I understand that you’d probably be a little scared.”

She rounded on him and pointed in what she assumed to be between his eyes, but was a little off, “Listen here Twinkle Toes, I am not scared of anything. I’ll join your little game, but my team will defeat your team.”

Proud of himself, Aang continued to tease her until their teacher walked in, but neither of them heard the whispers in the back of the classroom.

In every class he tried to recruit more kids, but not many seemed interested, not even Katara.

“Pretty please?” Aang pleaded one more time before Water Studies. “I’ll help you look for that book after we play.”

She found his big doe eyes adorable, but she already had a full schedule before dinner. With a raised brow, she asked about dance practice. “Are we skipping?”

“Oh yeah,” Aang almost forgot about that extra curricular, “Well after you’re done, will you come watch?”

Katara smiled and nodded.

He raised his fists in excitement, but then remembered he still needed to find a waterbender to join his team.

“What about you, Sangok?”

She chuckled at Aang for setting his sights on someone else so quickly and finished braiding her hair just as Master Pakku walked into class, looking grim as always.

. X . X . X .

With a deep breath to steady his nerves, Sokka walked into his fourth class as calmly as he could. By then, he had confirmed that Suki was avoiding him, but she couldn’t avoid their shared Geography class. She had missed breakfast, dodged him in the halls, and wouldn’t even look at him when he called out to her. And now, it looked like she’d be willing to skip class because she wasn’t there.

Sokka’s shoulders dropped, causing his bag to slip off his shoulder and be dragged to his seat. He had an apology all planned out in his head. If she wasn’t in her last class waiting for him, which she wasn’t, then he’d meet her in their geography classroom and get on his hands and knees to apologize. It would have been a perfect circle to the first day they became friends about a year ago. Back then he had apologized for being a sexist idiot and admitted he had been beaten by a girl.

He had hoped it wouldn’t have become a habit between the two of them, but he knew he really hurt her feelings for ditching her like that. She may have known of his crush on Yue, but as Katara scolded him earlier in the morning, she was his friend first and would still feel hurt at being abandoned like that without any warning. He could only vow to himself never to put hoes before bros* and hope she’d be willing to forgive him if she ever let him speak to her again.

Sokka’s gloomy pity party dissipated as Suki strode in right as the bell rang.

“Suki!!”

The girl blushed as everyone’s gaze shifted from Sokka to Suki.

Fortunately, their teacher demanded their attention as soon as she took her seat next to him.

“Sukiiiii! I missed you!!!” He whispered to her.

She rolled her eyes at him and slapped a paper on his desk.

The sticky note read: I got permission for us to use the gym to help Yue. Someone’s gotta be your wingwoman or else you’ll totally screw this up.

Below it was a written permission slip from the groundskeeper to use the gym until dinner time.

Sokka’s eyes watered. He would have hugged and kissed her cheek if they weren’t in the middle of class. It didn’t even faze him that she thought him so dumb to ruin his chance with Yue because he knew she was probably right. Throughout class, he brainstormed ways to pay her back, thus he missed the entire lecture of one of his favorite classes.

. X . X . X .

Katara felt guilty for ditching her friends’ and other classmates’ after school offers, but she really wanted to find the books Master Yagoda had mentioned in class that day. One was a thick introductory tome about healing and anatomy that she desperately needed if she ever wanted to catch up to her classmates. All of the other girls in the class had the basics down, yet her only experiences in medicine and heath were outdated superstitions and knowledge passed down by the women in her tribe. The second book was a philosophical one regarding women’s higher healing abilities.

It deeply bothered her how her waterbending peers were so set in their fixed gender roles and aimed to change that.

 _We can’t be the only nations set in the old ways._ Katara huffed to herself as she looked up the books in the library’s catalog. _Don’t they see how strong other nations are by including both genders?_

She jotted down their locations and continued her hunt for them. The massive introduction book was easy to find, but it was much larger than she thought, even thicker than their current textbook. Katara briefly debated returning everyday to read it, yet as much as her brother had teased her before about being a nerd, she was not that dedicated. With a deep sigh, she pulled it off the shelf and hugged it to her chest.

 _At the very least, I can use it for weight training_ , she giggled to herself and set off to collect the other book. Maybe if she hurried, she could still play with Aang and the others.

Once she had her two books, she quickly made her way through the stacks to check them out. She almost made it out of the rows of shelves when she heard sniffing. Following the sound, Katara forgot her rush in favor of finding whomever was crying.

When she turned the corner, she found Meng curled up in a corner with her face hidden between her arms and knees.

Softly, she called out to the other first year and the girl jumped, then relaxed once she realized it was Katara.

Sitting down next to her, Katara reached out and rubbed the back of the smaller girl’s back.

“Are you okay, Meng? What’s wrong?”

She cleared her throat and admitted she wished she could go back home, “I don’t like it here. The other girls make fun of me and my hair and I don’t want to be in Ty Lee and Prince Azula’s literature group.”

Katara winced at her last comment, “Is it just you three?”

“No, but they’ve already turned the rest of the group against me,” Meng wiped her eyes. “I don’t think I should have come to this school, Katara. Everyone’s so smart and talented and I’m just an average village girl far from home. I don’t understand how I was invited to attend this school.”

Katara hugged her, “I’m sorry you feel this way, but it’s not true. Don’t let stupid, pampered rich girls belittle you, Meng. I know you’re just as smart and pretty as the other girls, but they feel threatened by you, so they resort to bullying. Stick it to them by ignoring them. Show them that you are strong and much better than them. Afterall, you were chosen from a small, far away village, there’s got to be a meaning behind that that you just don’t know about yet.

“Besides, if you leave now, you’ll leave all your friends behind,” she smiled and got back up with her hand extended out for her. “We’ll miss you deeply, but we’ll understand whatever is best for you.”

Meng took her hand and gave her a watery smile back, “Thank you, Katara. Do you really think of me as a friend?”

“Of course! We’ve journeyed, eaten, and laughed together, and you’re super nice. Why wouldn’t I want you as a friend?”

Meng almost cried again with tears of happiness instead.

“Thank you, Katara.”

“Nothing to thank me about,” she picked up her books once more and motioned for her to follow her. “Let’s go watch and cheer for some of our friends playing Capture the Flag at the back of the school.”

The two made their way and were motioned by others to head to the roof where the seating was better to watch such a large battle field. When they reached the top, they made it in time to watch Aang run with one of the three flags towards his team’s designated spot. He jumped and flipped over earth created obstacles rapidly forming under him, but it didn’t stop him.

Cheers erupted once the flag was successfully captured. Aang jumped up and down in excitement and spotted his two friends, beaming even brighter.

“Meng!! Katara!! Did you see that?!”

The girls laughed and congratulated him, but it wasn’t over yet and Toph wouldn’t let him keep his victory high. The game continued until one of the teams forfeited and only Toph and Aang remained standing on opposing sides.

Haru, who had been enlisted into Aang’s team, climbed up to where the few remaining spectators and collapsed next to Katara.

“Who knew twelve year olds were that fierce?” Haru chuckled in awe and grinned when Katara laughed.

“We better stop them before Toph tears down the school,” Katara joked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll leave it up to you to determine how it ends. Just so you know, that * after "hoes before bros*" was from Sokka to the audience. He would like you to know Suki is his very close bro. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


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